Happily Ever After?
by M. Pond
Summary: It's one year since the team got snowed in but things definitely aren't perfect. In fact they're going pretty wrong. Sequel to 'Snowed In'
1. Not So Perfect

The hub was exceptionally quiet for almost eleven o'clock in the morning. The normal shouts of commands and the sound of people typing had been replaced with an almost morbid silence. The hub itself was a complete and utter mess. The desks were covered with mugs filled with cold coffee and bowls containing congealed substances that looked like they were about to grow legs. Papers were scattered everywhere, almost like a minute hurricane had whirled through the hub. The only evidence of life was one solitary figure. There among the disastrous chaos lay a man who could be classed as just above average height. He was lying on his stomach on a faded grey sofa that was hidden in a dark and empty corner of the hub. He was lying peacefully except for the occasional snore and grunt. It looked like he had passed out completely unconscious. There were remnants of horrific neon makeup on his face, including sparkly pink eyeshadow and vivid red lipstick. He was also missing his trousers that were lying on one of the chaotic desks. However his legs were not bare; instead he was wearing a pair of fishnet tights that had a large, ripped hole above the right knee. A greatcoat that looked like it was from the 1940's was draped across his chest, covering the stained blue shirt that he was wearing. To top it all off, on top of his head was a pair of sparkly pink party boppers that wouldn't look out of place at a Shayne Ward concert. 

Five minutes passed and the figure showed no signs of moving, instead just grunting once and rolling over, causing the greatcoat to fall to the floor. This displayed the stained shirt he was wearing. The once pristine blue shirt was covered in what looked like smatterings of alcohol and ketchup as well as a large splodge of mud. It was at that moment that the sound of noise finally filled the hub. The silence was broken by the sound of chatter that echoed in from the corridor. The voices were muffled but almost certainly belonged to the members of the infamous Torchwood team. The large, imposing cog door opened and revealed the first member. Ianto was wearing his normal suit, however judging by the large bags under his eyes and the shadow of stubble that framed his jaw, he hadn't been sleeping a lot the previous night. On closer inspection it was clear that something was taking its toll on him. His normally perfect clothes were creased, showing evidence of a lack of ironing. His usual tie was missing and his shoes were scuffed and covered in dirt. His hair looked like it hadn't been near a brush in quite a while and there was an unpleasant odour that followed him. As he entered his eyes scanned across the mess and he showed no signs of seeing it, almost gazing straight through. Instead his eyes landed on the captain that was fast asleep on the sofa. His top lip curled in disgust and his gaze became one filled with something that could almost be classed as hate. He wrenched his gaze from Jack and stormed off in the direction of the kitchen, slamming the door behind him. The sudden bang caused Jack to grunt and mumble something undistinguishable under his breath but he remained asleep. 

"Ianto's no better then." Gwen clambered into the hub, noting the behaviour of her fellow colleague as he disappeared. She sighed and shook her head slightly causing tendrils of her dark brown hair to fall and frame her face. As she too took in the state of the hub, she groaned and muttered about the fact that something needed to be done and fast. She rolled her eyes at their boss and moved aside to let Tosh and Owen enter. She shrugged off her coat, displaying her casual outfit of faded jeans that were fraying at the bottoms and a dark blue shirt with rolled up sleeves. The dark colour however did nothing to hide the small bump that was her stomach. 

"It's been two weeks and he's still just as depressed as he was then, maybe even more," Tosh sighed as she too took in the sight of a comatose Jack. "It's getting ridiculous, I mean look at this place." She gestured to the mess around the hub and groaned as she removed Jack's trousers from her desk. She kicked off her two year-old black converse and curled up in her seat, pressing the power button on her computer. 

"Well what exactly are we meant to do about it?" The final member of the team, Owen, entered the hub and wandered over to Tosh, standing behind her and draping an arm around her shoulders. She took hold of his hand and leant back, giving him a small smile before looking at Gwen to continue their conversation. He sighed, registering that his girlfriend wasn't going to give him attention, and wandered down into the autopsy bay, placing the steaming mugs of Starbucks coffee on the side as he went. He shrugged off his old leather jacket and chucked it onto an old coat stand that had been left by the previous Torchwood medic. The bay was the only tidy place left in the hub, which was ironic judging, by Owen's track record. Everything was pristine and the surfaces almost sparkling. The tools were all in their correct drawers and it was almost like a completely different environment. However the sound of the girls talking was still audible.

"We've got to do something. I mean look at Jack, that's hardly healthy is it?" 

"He was like this before Ianto, Gwen. I just thought that he wouldn't go back to it, not when he has Ianto to keep him entertained."

"I know. Ianto's no better though. This place is a tip and he hasn't made coffee since they broke up." Owen shook his head and headed back up the stairs, not bothering to pull his doctor's coat over his moss green shirt that he was wearing. 

"Well have you got any suggestions?" The girls jumped at the sound of his voice, shocked by the fact that he was bothering to even discuss the situation between Jack and Ianto. He grabbed the tray of Starbucks and wandered over to the two women. He handed Tosh a hot chocolate and Gwen a decaff coffee. He had had to drag her away from her normal two coffees that she started the morning with when she had announced her pregnancy and she still wasn't happy about it. He flopped down into the seat in front of his desk, drinking a cup of fresh coffee. "Look the two are barely acknowledging each other, what can we do?" 

"That's the problem though. Jack's going out drinking every night and coming back like that or even not at all, and Ianto's not bothering to take care of here or himself. Our last two missions have been disasters because those two aren't talking and are barely in a fit state to work. What do we do if something major happens? They're going to be completely useless and we can hardly do it alone." Tosh was met with silence as the two registered what she had said. It was at that moment though that two things happened. Firstly Ianto appeared from within the kitchen with a scowl on his face. And secondly Jack woke up. 

There was a loud grunt and a crash followed by a shout of:

"Fuck." The four turned in the direction of the noise and saw their boss lying in a heap on the floor. He had fallen onto his greatcoat which had partially softened the blow, but he appeared to be in obvious pain judging by his groaning. He mumbled what sounded like a string of swear words and attempted to shove himself up. Gwen jumped up to help him but Tosh leaned over and grabbed her arm, gesturing for her to sit down. She did so and continued to watch Jack as he staggered to his feet, swaying slightly on the spot. He clutched his head in agony, appearing to be oblivious to the fact that he was wearing fishnets and makeup. After a few seconds of coming to terms with his situation, he turned and stared at his team who were looking at him in worry, amusement, pity and disgust. 

"What you all looking at?" he slurred slightly, making it obvious that the effects of the alcohol hadn't quite worn off yet.

"What the hell did you do last night Jack?" Owen asked as he stared at the miserable state Jack was in.

"Fuck off Owen. I had a good time. You got a problem with that?" As he spoke his speech became more and more slurred and his gaze was unfocused. 

"We do when it has an affect on our own work," Gwen said. "Look all we're asking is that you sort yourself out. Stop the drinking and talk to Ianto." She turned to Ianto was loitering at the back of the group and stood up to confront him. "Ianto you can't tell me you don't want Jack back…"

"I don't," he spat. The words coming from his mouth didn't match his eyes however. His eyes were filled with want and sorrow, hardly matching the disgust on his face and the tone of his voice. His glare was hard but the emotion behind them was evident. Jack stared hard at Gwen who was still standing up and trying to look confident.

"Well tell him that I don't want him back either, I'm better without him. Jack Harkness doesn't need or want to be tied down, especially to a guy who is ridiculously dull." With that he turned and stormed in the direction of his personal living quarters, shrugging his coat on to hide his state. Ianto looked broken for a second before his original expression of disgust returned. He didn't acknowledge the group, instead turning and walking up the corridor towards the tourist shop and outside world.

"Well that went exceptionally well didn't it," said Owen. 

Two hours passed and the hub had resumed its normal level of activity. Gwen was sat at her desk chatting to Rhys about the scan that she had that afternoon. She was talking in an over excited tone, reflecting the ecstatic mood that she was in and the excitement she felt over her pregnancy. It had been one month since she had broken the news to the team. She'd invited the four of them out for dinner with her and Rhys to tell them:

"_Alright guys can we have your attention?" Gwen smiled at the group of her friends who were wrapped up in their own worlds. Jack was leaning against Ianto and whispering in his ear while his hand crept up his leg. Ianto had a faint blush on his cheeks but there was a smile on his face. The two looked like they were trying to figure out exactly when they could escape the restaurant and find somewhere private. Of course knowing Jack he was suggesting that they do it in the bathroom. On the other side of the table were Tosh and Owen who were arguing quietly about a piece of alien tech that they had found yesterday. They were talking in hushed tones but the anger was evident in their voices as they argued frantically about who was right. However the two were leant close to each other and there were light smiles on their faces showing that they weren't entirely serious. _

"_Oi! Listen up!" Rhys banged on the table causing the four to stop talking. They all turned to Gwen who smiled pleasantly at them. "Thank you," Rhys said as he stood up, wrapping an arm around his wife's waist. _

"_Okay there is obviously a reason that we invited you all here tonight. We've got some news." There was a silence as Gwen and Rhys stopped talking, waiting for the right moment to tell everyone._

"_Well get on with it," Owen muttered. Tosh kicked him under the table and he glared at her._

"_We're having a baby." _

There had been lots of hugs and smiles with both Tosh and Ianto being especially happy for her. Owen had joked with her about the changes that would happen, mainly the fact she'd get fat, but there had been a serious and caring tone underneath it all. That had been shown more recently with him banning her from having caffeine. Jack had also congratulated the two but there had been a slightly uncomfortable air there, just as there had been when he'd found out she was engaged. Of course the break up with Ianto had pushed any uncomfort away as he became distracted and lost himself in drink.

Tosh was sat her computer, glasses on and entirely focused in her task of cracking some alien code that she'd been given. She had her earphones in and had thus blocked out the noise in the hub. She was singing faintly under her breath and it sounded like she was singing 'Wild Horses' by Natasha Bedingfield. She stopped for a second to pull on her old hooded jumper before turning back to her work. She continued seamlessly, not even stopping as she drunk the coffee that Owen had grabbed from Starbucks twenty minutes ago. She only stopped though when her mobile phone rang, the original ring tone echoing through the hub. She sighed, stopping what she was doing and yanking out her headphones. Gwen shot her a smile as she grabbed the phone.

"Hello? Obachan…" The conversation descended into Japanese meaning that neither Gwen nor Owen could understand what was being said. 

Owen appeared from within the bay, carrying two test tubes that looked like they contained something that looked distinctly like blood. 

"Who is it?" he asked, looking at Gwen who had just ended her conversation with Rhys. She shrugged and the two watched Tosh who was talking in what sounded like a mix of Japanese and English. 

"No! You don't…" Tosh let out a frustrated cry of anger and the sound of shouting came down the phone. 

Two or three minutes passed before Tosh hung up the phone. She slammed it down on the desk and swore loudly. She threw herself down in her seat and kicked the desk. Owen sighed and went and wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head.

"What is it?"

"My grandma's decided that she and some of the family want to come for Christmas."

"What's wrong with that?" Gwen asked in an innocent tone. 

"They hardly ever come to visit me and there's only one reason they're coming this time and that's to size up him." She looked back at Owen and sighed. 

"Me?"

"Yep. Bearing in mind you've spoken to my grandma once and that was nearly a year ago and hardly went well…well I don't think they're overly impressed with you. Oh god." She groaned and let her head fall forward and bang on the table.

"It can't be that bad," Gwen said trying to be sympathetic. Tosh's head shot back up and she stared at Gwen aghast.

"Can't be that bad? My gran's been trying to get me to date someone for the past three years and then they guy I picked bloody well tells her we're in bed together when she calls. I mean I'm dating Owen! How well do you think he's going to go down with my family?" 

"Hey!"

"She's right Owen," Gwen said. "You and her family aren't exactly going to get on great are you?" Tosh let out another groan before shoving her chair back, hitting Owen in the legs, and standing up. 

"Where are you going?" he asked as he rubbed his jean-clad legs in pain. 

"Going to check when flights from Japan are and to find hotels. It's the 17th now and they want to get here on the 20th. So that means I have to book flights, find hotels, try and wangle time off work from our currently drunk boss. Oh and come up with something that will convince them that you are actually a decent boyfriend."

"You've been dating me for very nearly a year, isn't that enough?" She simply glared at him before grabbing her coat and walking out of the hub. Owen sighed and raced down the stairs to grab his leather jacket.

"Where are you going?"

"I've got to go talk to Tosh. I might as well help her get the arrangements done."

"I've got to go for my scan though."

"Well Ianto and Tosh have gone and Jack's too hungover to even notice. Come on." He held out a hand to her and she reluctantly stood up and took it, grabbing her coat on the way. The two of them walked out, leaving the hub deserted except for Jack who was fast asleep in his office in attempt to sleep off his hangover. 

Fate's P.O.V 

Okay so it didn't quite go right. Well I gave them the push and they did all end up happy. Now though Jack and Ianto have split up and are depressed; Tosh's family want to meet Owen which will be a disaster. Gwen's the only happy one. Bollocks. 

A/N: The sequel to Snowed In is here :D As you can see, it's not all happily ever after. In the next couple of chapters you will find out why Jack and Ianto have split up.

Please review and tell me what you thought 

Oh and obachan grandma


	2. Other Partners

Owen shivered as he stepped out into the cold air

Owen shivered as he stepped out into the cold air. He was still clutching Gwen's hand and she too shivered as the chill that was in the air swamped them. The sky was a pallid grey and it cast a darkness across the entire city. There was a drizzle of rain, almost threatening to become a torrential storm. The air was cold and it nipped at the two of them, slipping in through the gaps of their clothing. He pulled his leather jacket tighter around himself, fighting to keep the cold away, and scanned the bay for a sight of Tosh. It was silent except for the sound of the water crashing against the brick walls that were slowly being eroded away. He could make out a figure in the distance but it wasn't clear whether it was her. He felt Gwen squeeze his hand, hers cold in his, and he turned to face her. He looked into her eyes, the smile that was on her face being reflected within them. As the two looked at each other, it seemed like it had been an eternity since they had been lovers, sneaking away at any given opportunity. Now they were just friends and teammates and it felt comfortable, like it was right. They could talk to each other and be there for each other when they needed someone who was outside of their personal relationship. There were nights when Rhys got aggravated about how late she worked; nights when Tosh accused him of being an insensitive arse. It was those nights that they turned to each other for comfort; just to talk, nothing more.

"I'm going to get off to the hospital alright. Just go and talk to her. Convince her it won't be a complete disaster if you meet her family." She gave him a smile and he pulled her into a warm hug. They stood like that for a while, feeling each other's warm bodies pressed against one another. He could hear her steady breathing; feel her warm breath against his neck. Slowly she detangled herself from his firm hold and wandered off to her small car, fumbling for her keys within her coat pocket.

* * *

Ianto had no idea exactly how long he had been walking for. He wasn't even sure where he was going. All he'd known was that he had to get out of that hub. It had been two hours since he'd left and all he'd done was walk down streets that he didn't recognise. His mind was entirely distracted, focused on torturing him with the memories of the relationship that him and Jack had had. Every time he tried to think about anything aside from his boss, the memory of Jack's lips against his neck, his gentle touch, the sound of his voice, came flashing back to him. He stopped for a second and kicked the pavement in frustration as an image of Jack and him in bed appeared in his mind.

"Fuck!" An old woman who was walking past shot him a disapproving look and muttered something under her breath. He stood frozen on the street until the sound of music reached his ears. Turning his head he saw that he was outside of an old pub that he had never seen before. 'The Great Western' was written in old, faded gold lettering, which was slowly peeling away. The windows were filthy and he couldn't see inside, but the noise from inside was drifting out into the old cobbled street. He shoved a hand inside his pocket and felt the coolness of coins within. Staring around, he shoved open the creaking wooden door and walked in.

The pub looked like it hadn't been touched since the 1930's. It was a dimly lit pub and was not somewhere that Ianto would normally go. Straight ahead of him was a large mahogany bar that dominated nearly half the room. There were a number of stools scattered in front of it, each covered in the same old floral fabric. Old men, who were watching the racing on a television that was in the far corner, were sat on most of them. The TV looked like it should have been in a museum, the picture crackling and the sound distorted. The rest of the pub was filled with small, dark booths. The pub itself was thick with smoke from pipes and cigarettes and the tangent mix of alcohol and smoke hit Ianto straight away. Taking a deep breath and inhaling the familiar smell from his childhood, he approached the bar and the barmaid. She looked to be in her late 40's but was still desperately clinging to her youth judging by her badly dyed blonde hair and thick layer of makeup. Her clothes, a very low cut leopard skin top and red leather miniskirt, were things that even Gwen and Tosh wouldn't wear and they were nearly 20 years her junior. She gave Ianto a wide smile, showing the specks of lipstick that stained her teeth.

"What can I get you darlin'?"

"Um just a pint please." She reached up to grab a glass and began to pull him a pint.

"I haven't seen you in here before." He sighed quietly, acutely aware of the stares he was receiving from a number of the locals. It appeared they weren't used to having a newcomer in their midst.

"I was just walking past and I thought I'd stop for a drink." He could have expanded but he hardly felt like doing so with a random stranger.

"Well it's always nice to have a fresh face," she smiled at him but he saw her eyes scan over his appearance. He hadn't bothered to make an effort since the break-up; it all seemed immensely pointless. The two girls had been dropping subtle hints about the state of himself and the hub, while Owen had been dropping some not so subtle ones. It was only now though, when he was around complete strangers that he realised that he probably wasn't in the best of conditions.

"That'll be £1.80 love," she said as she handed him the pint. He fumbled for the money and pushed it into her hand. He didn't bother to smile as he made his way over to a booth in the far corner, out of sight of nearly everyone. He sighed as he slid into his seat, taking a sip of the cool beer. Placing the glass down on the table, he leant his head back against the wood panelling and closed his eyes, letting an onslaught of memories swamp him.

"_He's very dashing isn't he?" Camilla giggled staring at Jack who was pouring himself another scotch. "And look at that arse."_

"_Would you stop ogling my boyfriend?" Ianto hissed at his sister, swatting her slightly on the arm._

"_There's no harm in looking is there?" she muttered before resuming her staring. He was sure that his sister was about to start drooling over Jack, irrelevant of the fact that she had a fiancée waiting for her at home. At that moment Jack turned back towards them and began to stroll over to them. He slid into the seat next to Ianto and placed his hand on his leg. Camilla was about to say something when she suddenly jumped up, shouting something about her casserole. She ran out of the room, her blonde hair flying out behind her._

"_I think you're sister likes me," Jack whispered in his ear. Ianto rolled his eyes._

"_I guessed that from the fact that she couldn't stop staring at your arse."_

"_Actually I just meant that she liked me. Obviously there's something about the Joneses that makes me irresistible to them," he winked. Then he cupped Ianto's face and turned him so he was facing him. "I'm happy enough with just one though." He bent down and captured Ianto in a deep kiss._

_Ianto entered the small meeting room balancing a tray of coffee. The rest of the team looked up at him expectantly as he entered, each grinning as they saw the coffee. He made his way over to Jack, placing a cup in front of him. As he made his way over to Gwen he felt Jack staring at his arse and heard him let out a low whistle. He spun around to face him and raised an eyebrow._

"_See something you like sir?" Jack simply winked at him and shot him a sly grin. _

"_Can we not get through one meeting without you two eyeing each other up?" Owen groaned in annoyance. He stood up and grabbed a coffee off the tray, throwing the two men a dirty look. _

"_Hey just because you're not getting any because Tosh is away, don't take it out me," Ianto smirked, taking his seat next to Jack. He felt Jack's hand creeping on his leg and he smiled._

"_Shut up Jones." Owen stopped speaking for a minute as he took in the look on Ianto's face. "Oh God Jack's feeling you up right now isn't he?" His face changed to one of disgust as Jack laughed. "It's not even 10 o'clock in the morning. Can't you two control yourselves? Or at least go somewhere private like the archives and do it?" Ianto smirked at him_

"_I believe you and Tosh beat us to that last week." He heard Jack laugh loudly and Owen let his head fall onto the table. Jack leant against him and began to whisper in his ear._

"_Well if you're not busy after the meeting we could…"_

"Is anyone sitting here?" Ianto's eyes flew open as he was pulled from his memories by a voice. A young man, who looked no older than 30, was standing by the table. He was what Ianto would describe as cute. He looked to be about 5' 9" and seemed to be one of those guys who wouldn't catch your eye straight away. However there was something very attractive about him. He had dark brown hair and a beard. He had bewitching eyes that were almost brown but had speckles of green and grey. He was wearing a light blue shirt, black tie and dark jeans.

"No," Ianto smiled. The guy grinned back and sat in the seat opposite him.

"I'm Daniel. Daniel Faraday," he said, holding out his hand. He instantly picked up the guys British accent and realised that he most likely wasn't from around here.

"Ianto Jones. Do you live near here?"

"No. I'm from England, though you can probably guess. I've just come back from a…research project in the Pacific and I felt like living somewhere new. I decided to give Cardiff a shot. What about you?"

"I live in Cardiff, always have done." He stopped and took a sip of drink, looking at Daniel. Maybe this was what he needed, someone to take his mind off things.

* * *

"Fuck, sorry I'm late. There was major traffic and then I had to stop for petrol and…" Gwen skidded to a halt in front of Rhys and attempted to stutter out some form of apology for being nearly an hour late. There had been a crash on the road to the hospital and she'd been stuck in the jam for twenty minutes. Then she'd had to go and get petrol and of course she couldn't resist getting coffee – well Owen wasn't around to stop her. To top it all off, she hadn't been able to find a parking space and had had to park a ridiculously long way away from the actual hospital. So much for being a member of Torchwood giving you access all areas and overriding permission.

"Hey love it's alright. You're here now." Rhys smiled her and pulled her into a kiss before giving her a hug. She took a deep breath, inhaling his familiar smell, and she smiled.

"Come on then, let's get in there." He offered her an arm that she gladly took.

"Oh I picked this up for you on the way." He held out a large bottle of water and she looked at him with raised eyebrows. "The nurse said you've got to drink lots of water before the actual scan so they can see the baby clearly." She shot him a look that said she wasn't impressed but she grabbed the bottle anyway.

"Would they hurry up? I have to pee!" Gwen hissed at her husband in irritation as another minute passed by. They'd been waiting for half an hour and she had already drunk the entire bottle of water. She was currently reading the latest issue of 'Hello' in an attempt to distract herself from her full bladder. Sadly it wasn't working.

"They'll be ready for us soon. And would you stop fidgeting? Everyone's staring." She simply glared at him before throwing the magazine down on the table in anger. As she did so, an older blonde woman, who was sat opposite, gave Gwen a filthy look.

"Oh what are you looking at you old bag?" The woman remained looking unimpressed and she leant over to whisper to her heavily pregnant daughter who she was accompanying. Rhys nudged Gwen gently and shook his head.

"Do you want to get thrown out of the hospital for insulting patients and their relatives?" She sighed and leant back in her chair, crossing her legs tightly. She began to tap her foot in irritation, staring pointedly at her watch as if that would make a nurse suddenly appear.

"All I'm saying is why do they have to be so long?"

"We were nearly an hour late. There are other people here besides us Gwen." Before she could respond, a door opened and a young nurse appeared.

"Um, Mrs Williams?" She stood timidly by the door as she scanned the room for any response to her shout. She looked like she was only newly trained and was very nervous.

Gwen stood up from her seat, shoving it back loudly. She stormed in the direction of the open door, barging past the young nurse.

"It's about bloody time." She disappeared down the hallway and Rhys sighed before grabbing her bag and hurrying to catch up with her.

"Sorry about her," he apologised to the young girl. "She's a bit hormonal." It appeared Gwen hadn't gone too far and could hear his comment perfectly.

"I am not hormonal Rhys!"

* * *

"Would you just slow down?" Owen shouted out, his voice getting lost in the rain. The storm was getting worse and the rain could now be classed as torrential. He could hear the ominous rumble of thunder over head and that hardly filled him with joy. It appeared, though, that his shouting had been successful. Tosh, who was walking a few yards ahead, stopped and turned to face him. She was soaked through, her fringe plastered to her forehead and her clothes clinging to her. As he approached her, he took in her slumped shoulders and her red eyes. He could see that she was crying, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. "Hey what's wrong?" He reached out to wipe away one of her tears that was falling down her cheek but she simply swatted his hand away. He watched as she tried to regain some form of composure and her eyes became hard.

"What do you want Owen?"

"To talk to you. You go running off out of the hub. Do you really not expect me to chase after you? I just want to help."

"And what the hell can you do to help Owen? The last thing I need is you messing everything up." The harshness of her words were lost in the fact that her voice was cracking under the emotion that she was feeling and he could hear her words wavering as she spoke. Tears were falling from her eyes, trickling down her cheeks slowly. She just looked broken.

"Tosh just talk to me."

"I don't want to talk to you." She spat the words out, glaring at him as she struggled to stop her tears falling. "My family are coming in three days time to see you. Do you honestly think they're going to be impressed?" Silence fell. It felt like she'd just slapped him across the face as the words stung him. They rang in his ears and he struggled to deal with it. He knew she was hurting, that she'd said them in anger, but it just reminded him of his mother and the way that she said he'd disappointed her.

"_You can't just chuck me out mum." Owen and his mum were stood in the middle of their tiny living room. The cards wishing him happy birthday were displayed around the room, but right now it felt like there was little to be happy about. He'd come downstairs to find his mum waiting for him. There had been a rucksack by her feet – his rucksack. She'd told him that she wanted him out. He was sixteen and so he could go and live on his own._

"_That's exactly what I'm doing." She leant closer to him, the familiar smell of alcohol and smoke clinging to her. He could see the wrinkles on the face. She'd said they were caused by all the grief she gave him. She normally said that before slapping him. "You've just been one big disappointment to me. Always have been. You're just like your father, a waste of space." The words stung him but he put on a brave face. He always tried to convince himself that she didn't mean the things she said, but maybe she did. He stared into her eyes. There was nothing there except hate, no love or even sadness; just hate. She bent down and picked up his rucksack. She simply looked at him before walking out of the room. He followed after her and saw her opening the front door. Taking a deep breath, he walked towards her and she handed the bag over to him. He'd expected her to shove it at him, but like a mother sending her son to school, she just gave it to him. _

"_That is the nicest thing you've done for me in years, Mother." He slung the bag over his shoulder and walked out of the door, never looking back._

He stared into his girlfriend's face, barely noticing the rain that was soaking them. He could feel his face becoming hard as he looked at her. He hadn't thought about that day in years and the last thing he needed was to revisit it now.

"You sound just like my mother." He didn't say anything else, instead just turning and walking away in the other direction; away from her. He could hear her shouting for him but he didn't bother to look back. He wasn't even sure if she was chasing after him, all he could hear was the pounding of the rain and his mother's voice ringing in his ears – 'You're just like your father, a waste of space.' He kept walking, staring determinedly ahead, fighting to block out the sound of her voice. As he walked, his mother's voice began to mix with Tosh's, both of them destroying him. He'd tried so hard to make him and Tosh work and he thought that he'd done it. He hadn't been this serious about anyone since Katie. It had been so hard as the relationship had developed; he'd fought to let himself get this deep again. Now it was like she'd gone and thrown it all straight back in his face. 'They're hardly going to be impressed are they?' The words rung in his ears, getting louder as he began to walk faster. Still it echoed through his head. Before he knew it he was running. He could barely feel the cobbles beneath his feet as he sprinted through the rain, the wind whipping against his face. He couldn't remember the last time he'd run, but all he wanted to do was drown out the voices in his head; the voices that were ripping him apart.

He didn't know how long he ran for but he slowed as the sound of bass music reached his ears. Stopping, he drew in deep breaths, struggling to get the oxygen his body needed. He could feel the pain in his side, his body objecting to the speed he'd been running at. He bent over and drew in long ragged breaths.

"Are you going in?" He stood up quickly and turned to face the person who had just spoken. A young blonde girl was standing just behind him. She looked to be around his age and she was giving him a big smile. He quickly looked to the building to his left, a bar that he hadn't been in, in God knows how long. Of course, it was Friday and that meant everyone would be starting drinking early. Maybe that was what he needed to get his mind off things, a drink.

"Yeah I am." He shot her his most charming smile and held out his arm to her. She gladly accepted it and Owen sighed in relief as the voices in his head began to fade away.

He was barely listening to Sally as she nattered on. He knew he'd been in the bar for nearly an hour but he could barely remember anything she'd said. He knew her name was Sally and that she was a receptionist at Coyle's, the local law firm. She was single, something she'd been keen to point out, and lived a short walk away. He could tell by the way that she laughed at everything he said and how she leant immensely close to him, that she was flirting with him. Flirting rather obviously. He sighed and took another swig of his beer, beckoning to the bartender as he noticed her empty vodka glass.

"Oh god look at me, I've been talking forever. My friends always tell me that I talk too much. I just can't stop though." She broke out into an annoying hysterical laugh, one that reverberated through his head. "Tell me about yourself." She was leaning closer again. She had started off sat at the other side of the table and now she was just a few inches away. She leant into him, giving him an eyeful of her cleavage thanks to her low-cut top, and reached out to stroke his arm.

"Not much to say." He took another drink of his beer and froze as he felt her hand wander down to his thigh. He knew he shouldn't be doing this but every time he thought about leaving, the voices echoed in his head.

"Oh go on," she whispered, her hot breath on his ear. She was so close now that she was pressing herself up against him. Her hand was wandering higher and higher up his leg and he wasn't bothering to fight her. "I'm sure there's plenty you could tell me about yourself. Or we could go somewhere quieter and talk…or something." The suggestiveness was evident in her tone. She pulled away from him and smiled. "I'm just going to the ladies." As she stood up, stroking his leg, he knew exactly what she wanted to do. He watched her as she walked to the back of the bar, her hips swaying from side to side. The moment she disappeared from view, he shoved his chair backwards and stood up. He stumbled slightly, the alcohol taking effect, and froze. The door was on his right, the ladies on his left. He knew he should leave but the alcohol had made him feel intoxicated, like nothing mattered. He began to make his way to the back of the bar, staggering as he walked. He'd drunk too much, he knew that. He took a deep breath and pushed open the toilet door. The toilets were dark with blacked out windows and low lights. He could see Sally was stood there though, leaning against one of the cubicle doors.

"I thought for a minute that you weren't coming." She smiled and walked over to him, pressing her lips against his. He felt to drunk to think rationally and so instead he let his lust take over. A gorgeous 22 year-old girl was throwing herself at him; who was he to resist? He just wanted to forget and sex would definitely help do that.

He pushed her backwards, slamming her into the tiled walls as she deepened the kiss. He let his hands wander to her blouse and he ripped it open, pulling away from her mouth and going to kiss her neck. He was aware of her hands fiddling with his belt buckle and she let out a moan as he dragged his teeth across her collarbone. This was followed by a small yelp of triumph as he felt his belt come undone. He could feel her hands slipping inside his trousers, playing with the top of his boxers and he roughly shoved her skirt up above her waist. He cupped her arse and pressed her body against him before kissing her roughly on the lips. She nipped his bottom lip and let him return to kissing her neck.

"You're excellent at this," she moaned as her hands roamed across his bare chest, leaning her head back against the cool tiles. "Fucking excellent."

A/N: I was tempted to go on but I thought I'd leave it there so there's a bit of a cliffhanger. I'd like to hear some suggestions for what people want to see happen in this story as I'm really just making it up as I go along. I hadn't planned for Jack and Ianto to have split up or for Owen to be about to shag some blonde girl. So I could do with some ideas.

If you're wondering what Daniel Faraday looks like - he looks exactly like Daniel Faraday in LOST

Sorry it took me a while to update. Certain rumours about the TW finale caused me to suffer some problems writing but I am back on track now after reading an obscene amount of fanfiction.

Please review and tell me what you thought about this chapter. And it's my 17th tomorrow so please give me a review as a present. Everyone who reviews will get some cyber birthday cake :D

Thanks for reading.


	3. Conversations and Interruptions

**A/N: Two points – this chapter is very heavy in Tosh/Owen so if you don't like that then I do apologise. Secondly, there is some gore at the end of this chapter so I'm sorry if people don't like that but it was necessary. This is a long chapter – 7360 words so enjoy.**

* * *

A groan rumbled through Owen's chest as he felt the familiar buzzing of his phone in his jeans pocket. Sighing, he pushed Sally away from him slightly and reached for it.

"Just leave it," she muttered, kissing her way down his neck. He contemplated just ignoring it; it was very tempting. However he flicked open the tiny silver phone without bothering to look at the caller ID.

"What?" His tone was harsh and tinged with annoyance at being disturbed.

"I'm sorry Owen." The simple statement was followed by a series of muffled of sobs. Her voice was cracking and he could imagine her clutching the phone desperately, tears running down her face. Tosh's end fell into silence and Owen was too choked to say anything. He was in a bar's fucking toilets about to shag a girl whose last name he didn't know. All the while his girlfriend was torturing herself thinking it was her fault. What the hell was he doing? "Owen please talk to me." Once again he felt his heart tighten. Here he was about to screw up the best thing that had happened to him since Katie. Was he really that stupid? He opened his mouth to say something but he was beaten to it.

"Hurry up baby, I need you," Sally muttered as she bit his bottom lip, pushing his jeans down so they fell to around his ankles. Her whiny voice suddenly seemed so much louder than normal and he felt himself freeze in horror, praying that Tosh hadn't heard.

"Who the hell is that?" Anger was now evident in her voice. "You're shagging someone?" She practically spat the words down the phone but he could hear the sadness in her voice as she fought to keep the tears back.

"No Tosh it's not what you think. Let me explain…" His protests were met with the familiar sound of the dialling tone. She had hung up. "Fuck!" He punched the tiled wall in anger, ignoring the pain that shot through his knuckles, before shoving Sally backwards.

"Ow!" she said, clutching the back of her head that had just banged into the wall. "What's wrong? Was that your girlfriend?" He ignored her questions, instead pulling up his jeans and fiddling with the belt. He could feel his anger rising as he struggled to shove the belt through the correct loop. He bent down and grabbed his phone that he had dropped. Stuffing it into his jeans, he headed for the door without even looking at Sally.

"You're just leaving me here? We're not finished yet. I thought you liked me." All he saw was red as he turned and shoved her up against the wall.

"You stupid bitch, do you realise what you've just done? My girlfriend, who is hundred times the women you are, is probably about to dump me because of you. Do you really think I want to fuck you?" Her stare became cold as her steely grey eyes met his.

"You're the one that bought me drinks and followed me in here. You weren't exactly protesting when you were ripping my clothes off. It's not my fault if your girlfriend dumps you." He knew she was right; this was all his own fault. Glaring at her, he loosened his grip around her neck and let her fall to the floor. He yanked open the large door and stormed out into the main bar, his mind entirely focused on trying to find Tosh. As he entered the now crowded room, he was aware of a number of stares. He glanced down and saw that his shirt was wide open, displaying his chest to all the customers and staff. Swearing under his breath, he fumbled to do the buttons up.

"What are you looking at?" he asked two slick city types who were looking at him with smirks on their faces. They didn't reply, instead turning away and whispering to each other. Owen hurried through the bar, avoiding meeting anyone's gaze, and out into the street. It had become dark since he had entered the bar, one of the downsides of it being nearly Christmas. It was a cloudy night meaning any stars were hidden from view, and all the streetlamps were lit up. It was drizzling and Owen realised with a groan that he had left his jacket back in the bar. Sighing, he began to make his way down the busy street. As he walked he began to dial Tosh's number.

"Hi this is Tosh's voicemail. I can't get to the phone now so leave a message after the tone." He slammed the phone shut and kicked the pavement in irritation, gaining an irritated glare from an old woman who was walking past. He continued to walk on determinedly, half his brain trying to figure out exactly where she would be and the other half trying to figure out what he would say when he found her.

* * *

"So then he ends up walking out of the bathroom butt-naked. And all his friends and relatives were just stood there. I think he just wanted to die of embarrassment," Daniel finished with a laugh. Ianto snorted into his drink, trying to contain the laughter that was racking his body. It had been three hours since Daniel had sat down next to him. They'd exchanged stories and had been laughing the whole time. It had been a long time since Ianto had felt this good. He'd managed to forget about all the problems with Jack and how depressed he had been feeling, instead just focusing on the company he had. He finished his drink and placed it down on the table. "You want another?" Daniel asked gesturing to the empty pint glass.

"Yeah but it's my round." He began to stand up but Daniel shoved him back down. Ianto could practically see the sparks that flew between the two as he felt Daniel's hand resting on his arm.

"I'll go. I owe you that much for keeping me company all afternoon. You must have better things to do." Gently he pulled his hand away and shot Ianto a genuine smile.

"It should be me thanking you, I needed some time out really." He watched as Dan stood up and picked up the two glasses before making his way over to the bar. He couldn't resist watching him as he walked. He'd only let him sit down because he needed someone to take his mind off Jack and he had definitely done that. But there was something else as well. When he was talking to Dan he could just be himself, completely worry free. His jaw ached from smiling so much and he was sure he hadn't laughed that much in ages. He just felt positive around him.

"I'm sure that barmaid has got a thing for me," Dan muttered as he slid back into his seat opposite. He passed the freshly poured beer across the table before taking a sip of his bottle of Becks.

"I'm not surprised," he laughed before realising what he had said. He averted his eyes downwards, suddenly finding the old beer mat immensely interesting. He could feel Daniel's gaze burning into him and he desperately struggled not to look up.

"Why's that then?" There was a faint teasing tone in his voice and when Ianto looked up, he saw that there was a cheeky grin on his face.

"I mean…it's just that…well your…" He could feel himself blushing as he stuttered in a desperate attempt to rescue himself. All the while Daniel simply smiled before reaching out a hand and placing it on top of Ianto's. "

"You're pretty good looking yourself." Silence fell across the table as the two men stared at each other intently. Ianto hadn't felt like this since…since he had started flirting with Jack. There were all the innuendo and remarks hiding deeper feelings. Except this time there was no dancing around each other for god knows how long. "This might seem a bit…forward, but maybe you want to go get something to eat. We've been in this stuffy place for god knows how long and I'm sure you know some good places to get food around here." He continued to hold his gaze and left the question hanging in the air.

"Are you asking me out?" Ianto asked, trying to keep his tone light and flirty. This bit…this was different to Jack. With Jack there was no being asked out to restaurants, at least not until he had returned from his trip with the right kind of doctor.

"If that's what you want." Ianto simply smiled before standing up and grabbing his coat.

"What are we waiting for?"

* * *

The rain in Cardiff was getting progressively heavier and Owen was drenched to the skin. His shirt was soaked and clinging to him, plus he had to keep shaking his head like a dog to try and dry it out. He'd been walking for over an hour without any sign of Tosh. He had checked her flat, his flat, the hub and the pub that they normally went to but they were all Tosh-free. Stopping by the bay, he leant against the wet metal bars and stared down into the raging waters below. He sighed in frustration before checking his phone for the millionth time. He kept hoping that she would ring him and just give him a chance to explain. He kicked the bar in anger as the rain continued to fall. Then he stopped as he spotted something. The storm that was raging was so strong that he could barely see across the bay but he could make out what looked like a familiar figure. Ripping himself away from the edge of the water, he began to run in the vague direction of the girl. As he got closer it became clear that it was Tosh that he could see. She was standing in a similar position to the one he had been in, leaning against the bars and staring down into the water. Where she was was more deserted, away from the bars and restaurants that surrounded Cardiff's prime attraction. She appeared oblivious to the people who were walking past her, couples and people on their way home from work. The nearer he got, the more details he could pick up. He could see the crumpled expression on her face and he could tell that she was crying, her body shaking as the large sobs racked her body. She was holding something in her hands but he was unable to make out what it was from his position. Slowing down, he began to walk towards her, praying that she wouldn't spot him until he was so close that she couldn't run away from him. He was only a few metres away when he saw what she was holding. It was a photograph of the two of them that had been taken a few years back. They each had a copy of it and he could still remember the day vividly…

"_Do you actually know how to use a camera Owen?" Tosh asked, her voice laden with sarcasm. The two of them were stood in the middle of Brute Park attempting to take a picture. It was September, which meant that the weather was slowly getting colder. The sun was out but there was a cold wind blowing and Tosh was freezing._

"_Keep your hair on. And would you stop shivering?" He threw a joking glare at her before wrapping his arm around her and pulling her into him. She relaxed in his embrace and leant her head closer to his. He raised the camera up and the two of them stared into it, faint smiles on their faces. "Say cheese," he joked. A gust of wind blew across the two, sweeping Tosh's hair across part of her face, and Owen pressed the small button. There was a familiar click before the bright flash blinded the two._

"You're not planning on dropping that in the water are you?" His tone was gentle and the faint cheekiness was evident. He was hoping that if he kept things light then there was a chance that she'd listen to him. However as she turned to face him it didn't seem likely. Even though her cheeks were stained by the tracks of her tears and her eyes were brimming with tears, her face was cold. Her eyes met his and all he could see was a hardness that he had never seen before, at least not in her eyes. There was also anger, stronger than any other time that he had seen her mad, and it was almost like her eyes were ablaze with fury. She snarled her mouth in disgust as she ran her eyes over his messy appearance.

"You missed a button." That was all she said, her voice cold. Then she opened her hand and let the picture fall from her grasp. It was grabbed by a gust of wind and was blown downwards into the rough water. It slowly sunk and disappeared without a trace, its image lost forever. She didn't bother to watch it fall, her eyes never leaving his face. He looked up and stared into her eyes, feeling the pain and anger that resonated from her. Before he even had a chance to speak she had turned away from him, pulling herself away from the ice-cold barrier.

"Tosh." He reached out and grabbed her arm, preventing her from walking away from him. "At least listen to me." He pulled her towards him and he felt her struggle against the tight grip he had on her arm.

"Let go of me!" Her words were hard and he could see the fury that was etched on her face. Her glare was furious and he could feel her trembling in anger.

"Just let me explain. Look Tosh let me tell you everything. I want to explain…" The next thing he felt was a painful sensation across his cheek. He could hear the sound of her hand colliding with his cheek and his head was forced back by the pure strength of her slap. His cheek stung and he was aware of the gazes of passers-by.

"You may want to explain but I don't want to hear it. I'm done with you," she spat as she wrenched her arm from his grasp. She stormed off in the opposite direction without even looking back.

"Tosh! Just wait!" He began to chase after her. She started to run but he'd always been faster than her. He covered the distance between them in just a few strides. Grabbing her shoulders, he wrenched her around so she was facing him. There were tears streaming down her face and she looked broken. "Please Tosh, I don't want to lose you."

"You did that the moment you had sex with that slut." She emphasised the last word but the hate that had been in her voice was gone, replaced with sorrow and sadness. With every word she spoke the sadness became more obvious.

"I didn't shag her, I swear!" The look on her face made it obvious that she didn't believe him. "For fucks sake Tosh, what can I do to make you believe me? I didn't sleep with her." The two stood there in the middle of the crowded street, getting soaked through by the heavy rain, ignoring the stares from the people who surrounded them. Owen took a deep breath before speaking. "I nearly did and I probably would have." She tried to wrench herself away from him.

"And that makes it better." He simply looked at her and placed a finger on her lips.

"Please." She stopped struggling but he could still feel how stiff she was, ready to escape if necessary. "After everything that happened I just had to get away. I know I should have talked to you but I was just wanted to escape the memories of my mum. I remember running and not even thinking about stopping. The next thing I knew I was bent over trying to get my breath back. There was this bar and I wasn't thinking about going in until this girl asked me if I was going in. I thought it would help and so I went in with her."

"I'm sorry about before, I shouldn't have said what I did. But if you think that's a valid excuse for going and getting it on with some random girl then…"

"I don't!" he shouted, cutting her off mid sentence.

"Go on tell me, did you buy her drinks? I bet she was all over you, that's the type you normally go for isn't it? Everyone knows Owen Harper goes after anything that's easy and in a short skirt. I bet you couldn't resist could you. Probably charmed her with the fact you're a doctor. Did you go back to hers?" Her words echoed the strength that she was gaining from her anger. She was still crying and he could hear the upset that tinged her words but he could also hear the fury.

"Just stop it Tosh!" She could hear the anger that was now present in his voice and she was aware of him towering over her, a harshness that she knew was on her face, now on his. He shook her violently and it scared her to see him like this. "I don't want to lose you but you have to give me the chance to explain." She could feel the internal battle that was raging within her. There was the part of her that wanted nothing more than to slap him again and storm off, to call time on their relationship and to cleanse herself of him. But there was the other side as well. That was the side wanted to give him the chance to explain because no matter what, she couldn't help loving him.

"You've got five minutes and after that I don't want anything more to do with you unless absolutely necessary." She could see the pain shoot across his face as the words left her lips. It would be impossible to cut herself off from him completely but she would give it a damn good try.

"Okay. Can we at least go somewhere a bit drier?" She nodded and wrenched herself from his grasp before making her way over to a small café that was nestled in between two fancy restaurants. They'd gone there after the cinema on their second date and had spent two hours talking about complete rubbish. She smiled at the memory before becoming aware of the fact that he was probably thinking the same.

* * *

"Can you believe it?" Rhys said excitedly. They'd been back from the hospital for nearly an hour and Rhys was still overjoyed. He'd been the perfect expectant father throughout the scan and that had made Gwen feel ever so slightly useless. It wasn't that she wasn't excited about the prospect of having a child but she didn't feel this great joy that Rhys did. He'd asked so many questions throughout the scan while she had lain there quiet and smiling when necessary. She knew the real reason behind her reservation – Torchwood. When she had broken the news to the team they had all congratulated her but there had still been that question hanging over the news – exactly how was she meant to juggle a baby and the job? Torchwood didn't even have maternity leave, let alone a crèche for a baby. She was still fine for fieldwork but what about when she hit 8 months and was the size of a whale, overly emotional and unable to run anywhere? She'd have to stay in the office, which was hardly helpful. The other problem was what would happen when she'd actually given birth. She could hardly take the baby into work with her. She couldn't help but smirk but at the thought of Ianto bringing a bottle with the coffee and a car seat in the SUV. Would have she take time off work? The thought of giving up work for six months would have once filled her with joy but not anymore. What would happen if Jack chose to replace her? She couldn't exactly take Torchwood to court for unfair dismissal since they were above the government. Then there was how she would explain to her child exactly what mummy did. It was all so complicated. "Are you even listening to a word I say Gwen?" Rhys' voice pulled her from her thoughts and she became aware of the fact that he had been talking the whole time and that she had missed every word he had had said.

"Sorry I was just thinking." He smiled at her before joining her on the sofa and wrapping an arm around her.

"What about love?"

"Torchwood." A flash of annoyance crossed his features. She knew he wasn't keen on "that bunch of posers" as he called them. He thought they were all to flash for their own good but he also knew that she loved the job and would never give it up. "How are we going to juggle a baby with that job? It's hardly equipped for babies."

"I don't suppose there's anything question of you quitting?" His tone was hopeful but the look she gave him showed that there was no chance in hell of that happening. He took a deep breath and gave her a reassuring smile. " We'll work something out."

"What though? Torchwood isn't the type of place where you can work part time!"

"We'll come up with something but right now I want to just think about the fact that you and I are going to have a baby." He gave his a wife a smile and she smiled back.

"You're right. We're having a baby and that's what is important. So have you come up with any names?"

"Well I was thinking about Rhydian for a boy…" She slowly lets her thoughts wander as her husband listed all the names he had been considering for the baby. Their baby. She mentally shoved Torchwood and all her worries about it to the back of her mind. Her husband and their baby were the most important people to her and that was what mattered. "Of course there's always Rhys Junior."

"We're not calling our child after you!" she laughed. Yes, they were all that mattered.

* * *

"I don't know what else you want me to do Tosh. That's my side of the story. I fucked up and I fucked up big, I know that. I'm not great at apologies but I am sorry. I never meant to hurt you; I don't ever want to be the one to hurt you. I should never have run off this afternoon, let alone end up in the toilets with that girl. If I could go back then I'd change it, of course I would, but I can't. I made a mistake and I'm kicking myself for it. The moment you called it hit me how ridiculously stupid I was being. And then when Sally spoke, that was one of the worst moments of my life. I don't want to lose you. I lost Katie and then I lost Diane. There was nothing I could do to prevent that but I can this time. I love you and I don't want to let you go. Please give me another chance." Silence fell across the table as Owen stopped talking. The two had been sat in the small café for the past 15 minutes as Owen had desperately tried to convince Tosh to give him another chance. The place was pretty much deserted due to the bad weather and the two were sat on some hard yellow plastic chairs at a table in a far corner. They'd both ordered black coffee that neither of them had yet touched. Tosh had sat fiddling with her hands not saying a word, as he talked and talked, near on begging her to take him back. She had had kept her head bowed the whole time, avoiding meeting his eyes. Now though she looked up and stared straight up at him. He could see that she was still crying, tears slowly running down her cheeks. It hurt him to see her looking like that. Normally she put on a strong front but he knew that underneath she was very sensitive. She told him it was due to everything that had happened with UNIT and he had promised to protect her, stop her getting hurt. Yet here he was hurting her.

"When I heard that girl's voice…it was like you'd just gone back to exactly how you used to be. I remember how you would always come into the hub with a swagger and this cocky look on your face, flaunting the fact that you'd pulled. It was like that all over again. I want to forgive you, I really really do. But it's the fact that it proves that you haven't really changed, that the old Owen is still in there somewhere."

"Tosh." He reached out and placed his hands over hers that were resting on the table.

"But you know what the stupid thing is," she said, cutting him off. "The old Owen is the one that I fell in love with. I fell for you went you were arrogant and cocky and downright rude. So I can't get mad about the fact that you're still like that sometimes because that's you. My problem is that there's still the playboy Owen in there and I hate that. I hate the fact that you were about to cheat on me. I've lost people I've loved like Mary and Tommy and I don't want to lose you. I just don't know I can trust you though."

"You can," he implored, clasping her hands tighter. "I love you Tosh and I won't fuck up again I swear. Just give me one more chance. You can trust me and I want to be with you. It was just after everything that happened at the bay and remembering what my mum said, the way you sounded just like her, I needed to escape. And for some dumb reason I thought getting drunk with her was the way to do it. All I wanted to do was block everything out and I thought that sex would work. I wasn't thinking and I regret it so much now. I swear never to do it again, but just take me back, please." She wasn't used to him begging or sounding this desperate. Normally he put on this huge bravado to hide anything he was really feeling. But now it felt like she was seeing the real him, the one that had been left behind and abandoned by so many women that he found it hard to get close to anyone. Every relationship he'd had had ended somehow – death, desertion, disgust. She could see it in his eyes that he loved her. Was she really willing to give it all up? She'd loved Owen for years, even when she knew he was sleeping with Suzie and Gwen, and now she had him. It had felt like someone had stabbed her when she had heard that girl's voice on the phone. She had known instantly what was going on and it had broken her heart. With any other guy she would have ended it without so much as a second thought, but Owen was different. Even after a year of dating he still gave her butterflies and took her breath away when he kissed her. They'd be sat in a meeting and he'd just catch her eye and shoot her a smile and she'd be reduced to jelly. She didn't want them to end up like Jack and Ianto, finding it hard to even be in the same room together. She didn't want to lose what they had.

"I'm angry Owen, you don't know how angry. I want to find that girl and kill her and I want to slap you across the face. I think you're a bastard for what you did. But – I mean hell, I still love you. Though you're not forgiven yet – but I don't want to break up with you because for some reason I love your bastard self. But maybe you just need some time apart from me first to sort everything out in your head. I don't want to let you go and if giving you time is what you need then you can have some Tosh-free time." She pulled her hands away from his and stood up, leaving the mug of coffee on the table. She began to walk towards the exit and it took Owen a few seconds to process what she had said. He lunged forward and grabbed her arm, causing her to look back at him.

"I don't want time apart from you. I was stupid and what I did was stupid but I just want you to forgive me. I fucked up and I fucked up big but I don't want time apart from you; I want you." He stood up so he was just in front of her. She had stopped crying, the tracks from the tears slowly fading. She smiled at him.

"Are you sure?" He simply nodded before wiping his thumb across her cheek, removing the marks her tears had left. "You promise never to cheat on me again? I won't be able to handle it if you do."

"I swear." It felt like it was just the two of them, the rest of the café and its surrounding noise completely blocked out. He bent his head and captured her chapped lips in a kiss. As he felt her arms wrap around his neck he knew this was exactly what he wanted; her and him together.

* * *

Gwen leant back slightly, resting her head on Rhys' chest. The two of them were curled up on the sofa watching 'Eastenders' though neither was really paying attention. The rain was still falling outside and she could hear it hitting the windows. The fire was raging in the flat and she had never felt so content. She could feel Rhys' hands resting on her small bump and his lips kissing the top of her head.

"Five months time, we're going to have a baby." She could practically hear the smile on his face as he spoke. She could still remember how happy he had been when she had broken the news to him…

"_Gwen? You here?" His voice echoed down the hallway and into the small bathroom where she sat. She'd been home from work for an hour because Jack had sent her home claiming her mind wasn't on the job. That morning she had realised that she was four days late – she was never late. The moment she had left the hub, she had rushed to buy a pregnancy test. Now she found herself sat on the side of the bath, clutching the small white stick and looking at it over and over. There, in the small screen that displayed the results, were two clear blue lines. As she looked at them, the sentences from the leaflet flashed into her mind:_

'_Two blue lines as indicated is a positive result for pregnancy. You should make an appointment to see your doctor.' _

_Before she even had time to hide the evidence, the bathroom door flew open and Rhys appeared. "What are you doing in here?" She shoved the small stick behind her back but his eyes fell down onto the box and leaflet that lay at her feet. "What's that?" She stood up, still hiding the stick from view._

"_Rhys I've got something to tell you…I'm pregnant." Silence fell as she retrieved the stick from behind her back and showed him the two blue lines. _

"_You're pregnant?" She nodded and prayed his reaction would be positive. A smile broke out on his face and the next thing she knew she was up in the air as he swung her around. "We're going to have a baby!"_

The buzzing of her mobile on the table disturbed her thoughts. She sighed and reached for it.

"Just leave it love," Rhys moaned slightly. She was tempted to but she spotted the words Torchwood flashing up on the screen.

"It's work love, I've got to." She pressed accept and raised the phone to her ear, pulling away from Rhys slightly so she could focus.

"Gwen you need to get to the hub right now." It was Jack and he sounded sober for once. "There's been an attack and we need to investigate. And call Ianto for me." He hung up without waiting for a response and Gwen sighed.

"I've got to go," she said as she stood up from the sofa, grabbing her coat that was draped over the chair. "There's been an attack and Jack wants us all there." She knew Rhys wasn't happy but he shrugged slightly and gave her a small smile.

"Go on then, go and save the world. Just be careful alright, I don't want anything happening to you and our baby." She bent down and gave him a kiss on the forehead before leaving.

* * *

"I'll have the spaghetti carbonara and a Becks please," Daniel said to the waitress as he placed his menu back down on the table.

"Um-I'll have the risotto with asparagus and just some water please." She smiled and took the menus from the two men before making her way over to the kitchen. The restaurant was a tiny Italian that was located out by the bay. It was busy for just after six in the evening and there were a number of families and couples sat at each of the tables.

"Not drinking then?"

"I think I've had enough alcohol for one day," Ianto laughed as he smiled at the man sat across from him. They'd walked down the bay and had rejected practically every restaurant for being too commercialised or too empty to actually serve decent food. Daniel had finally chosen 'Giovanni's' which happened to be one of Ianto's favourite places to eat. He had come here with Jack once or twice but he tried not to think about that.

The two were sat at a table by the large window that looked out across the water. It gave them an excellent view of the people who were walking past and it also meant that they weren't at the centre of the restaurant where everyone could see.

"So tell me a bit more about yourself Ianto. What is it you do exactly? You've been a bit secretive about it." He sighed slightly. This was the one major downfall of working at such a secret organisation, you could never tell people what you did. He smiled slightly at the thought of telling Daniel that he hunted aliens.

"Well you haven't been that forthcoming either," he smirked and Daniel gave him an apologetic look. "It's kind of complicated. I…" He was cut off by the sound of his phone ringing. "Sorry." He grabbed it and saw that it was Gwen. "Yes?"

"Jack just called me. Apparently there's been an attack and he wants us to investigate. You need to get hold of Tosh and Owen as well, their phones are off." It pained Ianto slightly that Jack hadn't bothered to call him himself, it appeared they still weren't on speaking terms.

"I'm on my way." He hung up without saying goodbye and shoved his chair back. "I'm sorry that was work, I've got to go. It's a bit of an emergency." He grabbed a napkin off the table and a pen from within his pocket. He scrawled his number down and handed it to Daniel with a smile. "Here's my number. Give me a call if you want to do this again. I really am sorry." He raced out of the restaurant without looking to see Daniel's reaction. He had probably just thrown away any chance at a new relationship but that was Torchwood, barging in and ruining everything.

* * *

"Come on lets grab some food and go back to mine. We can watch a movie or something." There was a hesitancy behind what he was saying, as if he was scared that Tosh was about to change her mind and go back to hating him. She stopped and looked up at him.

"Owen you need to stop worrying. I've forgiven you."

"I'm sorry though, I really am.

"It's fine."

"It's not. It can't be."

"It is." There was a determination and a slight annoyance in her tone. "I don't want to keep talking about it Owen. It was a blip and I want to forget about it alright?" She smiled at him and he bent down and kissed her once more.

"I love you and I swear that I won't hurt you again." She nodded and leant into him as they continued to walk down the street.

Suddenly Ianto flew out in front of them.

"Thank god you two are here. We've got to get to the hub."

"Why?"

"Gwen just said that there had been an attack and that Jack needs us so we can go investigate it." The two nodded and began to follow Ianto, all thoughts of a night in flying out of the window.

* * *

The three of them arrived at the hub just as Gwen was pulling up.

"Have you got any idea what this is about?" Owen asked her as she climbed out of the car.

"Nope. Jack wasn't exactly forthcoming with the details. On the plus side though, he did sound sober." Before anyone could reply, they were blinded by bright lights that were coming straight at them. They turned and saw the SUV hurtling towards them. It skidded to a stop just in front of them and Jack's head appeared through the window.

"Hurry up and get in. The police are already there and knowing them they're fucking everything up." The team sighed and clambered into the large vehicle, assuming their usual positions.

"What have we got?" Gwen asked as Jack began driving, almost certainly breaking the speed limit.

"At least one victim if not more. I couldn't find out that much from the police but apparently they haven't seen such a…gory death in so long. I hope none of you have eaten recently," he laughed.

"Can you give me a location Jack? I'll see what I can find," Tosh said as she started up the laptop that she always kept in the car.

"It's some bar on Hail Street." Owen froze the moment Jack spoke. It could just be a coincidence. The likelihood of it being the same bar that he had been in…

"All I can find is a record of a phone call from the owner of 'Chino's.' Apparently he found a body in the toilets. That's it. Obviously they haven't got around to loading it up into the database yet." Chino's had been the bar he had been in with Sally.

"Doesn't matter. We're here." The SUV stopped suddenly and the team clambered out, each carrying the things necessary for the investigation.

"There's a high level of rift energy even here Jack," Tosh noted as she scanned around the entrance to the bar. "Definitely alien." There was a large police line surrounding the building and two armed officers were stood in front of it, barring entrance. Jack simply strode up to them and flashed his security pass.

"Torchwood and we're taking over now." Without waiting for a response he ducked under the tape and the team followed.

"Tosh," Owen muttered as he grabbed her arm. "This is where I was with – you know earlier." She nodded slightly before entering.

"Don't worry. It's probably just one of those slick city types." He nodded and the five of them walked in.

The room was crawling with police officers and was loud with chatter. One of them looked up as the team entered. He looked to be in his late forties and he didn't look very impressed with their arrival.

"This is all we need – Torchwood. We can handle this fine without you." Jack raised an eyebrow at him and gave him a look that said that that wasn't the case.

"We're taking this over now DCI Tyler. Get your men out of here and leave it to us." His voice was stern and showed that there was no room for refusal. The police officer glared at him before turning to face the many officers around the room.

"Clear out. Torchwood is taking over apparently." The annoyance was evident in his voice and a murmur of anger passed around the room. It couldn't be denied that Torchwood was not popular with the local police. However they began to file out, most shooting glares at the team. One officer stopped though, Andy.

"You're going to need to prepare yourself before you go in there," he said as he gestured to over to the toilets. "It's bloody horrible." He walked away without another word and soon the bar was empty except for the five.

Jack turned to face the team, purposefully avoiding meeting Ianto's eyes. He looked much better than he had done in the morning, but there was still a trail of stubble around his jaw and his eyes looked bloodshot.

"Lets get this over with then."

* * *

The sight that met them as they entered the toilets was one they were unlikely to ever forget. The once pristine tiled walls were now covered with spatters of blood form the mutilated corpse. It was a young girl who was lying dead on the floor. Her head had been twisted around nearly 180 degrees and her neck bones were jutting out because of it. There was a large rip down her left cheek, exposing the muscles that lay within. A large pool of blood had formed around her head and they could see that part of her skull had been simply crushed, leaving a large gaping hole in the back of her head. The rest of her once blonde hair was now matted with dried blood and stained a horrific red. What they could see of the corpse's face was covered in blood and contorted in agony, a look of pure fear etched into her features forever. The clothes she was wearing were also stained with blood and were practically ripped off. They could make out what appeared to be claw marks down her arms, tears straight through her flesh and deep into the bone. One of her legs was facing in entirely the wrong direction and appeared to have been almost pulled away from her body, suggesting that the victim had tried to escape. There were also signs of what appeared to be feasting on the body. There were barely any remains of her chest cavity, just enough to allow her body to remain together. A large gaping hole was there instead of her chest and stomach and it looked like it had been brutally torn apart.

The team stared in horror at the young girl. Each of them was retching as they looked at the ruined remains. Owen suddenly turned away.

"Oh god." He leant against one of the walls and vomited. He leant there, heaving until Tosh came and pulled him around so he was facing her.

"It's her isn't it? Sally." He nodded as he wiped the flecks of vomit of his lips. Tears began to form in his eyes and she pulled him into her, holding him tight. He may have shouted at the girl and left her there but she didn't deserve to wind up like this, practically mutilated beyond recognition. She was only 22; she had had her whole life ahead of her. Now she was lying there dead.

"Lets find out what the hell did this," Jack muttered as he turned his head away from the once beautiful body of Sally.

* * *

A/N: I hoped you liked this chapter. As you can tell this story will actually involve aliens, but it kind of works especially for later.

You will find out why Jack and Ianto split up and it should be in the next two or three chapters. Any guesses?

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and put this on story alert or in their favourites. I will do one huge thank you at the very end.

Please review! Even if it's just two words, I will really appreciate it. I love hearing people have put me on alert, but a thank you along with that would mean the world.


	4. AUTHOR NOTE: SPOILERS FOR FINALE OF TW

**ONLY READ IF YOU HAVE SEEN EXIT WOUNDS**

* * *

**I am putting this story on temporary hiatus until I have made a decision about what I want to do. Obviously Owen and Tosh died last night and I am still very upset about that. That means I am finding it immensely hard to write about their characters. That is the reason it took me so long to get the last chapter out because I knew what was coming (I read spoilers) and it broke my heart. Now they're actually dead, it is even worse. I have to find it in myself to actually be able to write Tosh/Owen still. I don't want to give up on them (I still love them) but I am finding it incredibly hard to write at the moment as I am heartbroken.**

**I really will try and write more of this because it means so much to have over 40 reviews for 3 chapters. I don't want to let the Tosh/Owen ship die either so I will write more. Just please give me some time to find the strength to write them. **

**Tamara**

**Xxx**

**P.S. Thank you to every single person who has reviewed – it means the world. **


	5. Bodies, Autopsies and Revelations

The SUV was silent as it hurtled back in the direction of the hub. They had collected all the necessary evidence from the crime scene and the body was currently lying in the boot under a plastic sheet. None of the team had yet asked about exactly what had happened in the bar and it didn't appear that Tosh or Owen were going to be forthcoming with the information. So instead the car had descended into silence. Jack was driving, his knuckles turning white due to how tightly he was gripping the wheel, and he was staring determinedly at the road, not even noticing the red lights they were flying through. Gwen was beside him and she was staring out of the window, her cheeks still damp from her tears. She looked rather pale as she remembered the mutilated body they had seen. She had hardly been able to look at Sally's body and hadn't been able to escape the fact that a young girl had just died. She let out a small sob every so often and bit her lip to try and stop herself from crying. Ianto occasionally reached out and patted her shoulder but he too seemed distracted. He was sat right behind Jack and he couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable. The two hadn't said a single word to each other during the whole time they had been in the bar, it was like they were invisible to each other. The tension between the two was palpable but however much Jack was infuriating him, he couldn't quash the feelings that were flowing through him. Every time he even brushed past him, a jolt of electricity went through him. He didn't want to feel like this but he couldn't help it.

* * *

The car suddenly began to descend down into the underground car park that the hub had. There was a large hallway that led straight into the hub and it meant they wouldn't get any suspicious looks about carrying a body with them. The bright lights that lit the otherwise dingy car park illuminated the inside of the vehicle, and enabled Ianto to see the final two members of the team. They were sat at the back and neither had said a single word since they had got in the car. Owen was resting his head on Tosh's shoulder and he had never looked more vulnerable. There were bags under his bloodshot eyes and there were traces of tears that had fallen down his cheeks. He didn't look like his normal cocky self, instead he looked helpless and that was worrying. Tosh was clutching his hand and had her eyes closed but Ianto had a feeling that she wasn't asleep. The two looked peaceful together and he hardly wanted to disturb them. However Jack suddenly swung the SUV into its familiar parking space and he turned on all the internal lights. Tosh and Owen stirred slightly and he sat up, rubbing away any traces of tears that he had. Ianto quickly averted his eyes, knowing that Owen wouldn't want to be seen when he was so sensitive.

The four jumped from the car and waited for Jack to give them instructions. Their leader strode around so he was standing by the boot and Gwen hurried after him. Any trace of the fact that he had been a complete and utter drunken mess earlier was gone, instead replaced with the normal confident leader.

"Right we need to get the body inside and complete an autopsy. Owen are you going to be okay to do that?" The medic glanced up, his emotions already being pushed behind his normal mask. Tosh stroked his arm slightly and he nodded at him. "So once that is done we should be able to get some idea of what the hell did that. Tosh I want you to check the CCTV for the time of the attack for both the toilets and the surrounding area, it's bound to have slipped up somewhere. Gwen check all the reports we have from customers who were in the bar at the time. Did anyone notice anything at all suspicious? Ianto…" Jack met his eyes and held his gaze, staring at him for a few seconds. The emotion on each others faces was completely unrecognisable, a mix of love, hate, lust, sorrow, regret and disappointment. "Check the archives and see if there's any cases that seem at all familiar to this. We need to find out what the hell did this." The four nodded and began to make their way into the hub. They all had a feeling it was going to be a long night.

* * *

"Are you sure you're going to be alright?" Tosh asked, grabbing Owen's arm and pulling him away from the others. They had just entered the hub and it was already a buzz with activity.

"I said I'll be fine," he snapped, his tone sharp. A pang of hurt flashed across her features before they hardened.

"Fine." She pulled her arm away and stormed off in the direction of her desk without bothering to look back. Her shoulders were tense and she all but threw herself into her chair before flicking on her computer. Owen groaned and leant his head back against the smooth stone walls of the hub, hiding his face in his hands. He hadn't meant to snap at her, she was just checking if he was alright, but the whole situation had gotten to him. He wasn't really upset about Sally dying, she had nearly messed up his first serious relationship since Katie, but it was the more the fact that a young girl had been brutally killed and they hadn't been able to stop it. She may have aggravated him for what she did but she was still a girl with her whole life ahead of her. She should have got married and had kids, seen the world and really lived. Instead she was currently lying on his autopsy table, her body brutally massacred. He forcibly swallowed the bile that rose in his throat and shook his head slightly, forcing himself to focus back on the job. They had to find out who or what the hell did this.

* * *

Gwen forcibly slammed the phone back down and swore loudly.

"Fucking twat!" Jack stifled a laugh at the look of anger on her face as she grabbed a pen and drew a line so hard that it ripped the paper. "We are unable to disclose that information," she mimicked.

"What's wrong?"

"I was trying to find out about the people she hung around with at uni, I thought that might be a clue. I've got information already but I thought it might be something in her past but they can't tell me anything at all apparently." She threw the pen down before she noticed Tosh leaning back in her chair, glasses hanging off the end of her nose. Her entire desk was covered, like Gwen's, in masses of paper.

"I've already got it covered," she said as she dangled a piece of paper in front of her.

"Well I think that calls for a meeting then," Jack said as Owen emerged from the autopsy bay. He was pulling off bloody rubber gloves and shrugging off his coat. Tosh shoved her chair back and walked over to him, not noticing the looks from Gwen and Jack.

"Sorry about before," he said as she stood in front of him. "I seem to be doing that a lot today." She laughed lightly and gave him a small smile, showing him that he was forgiven.

"Sorry to interrupt but meeting!" Jack's words broke through their moment and the two turned to face him.

"Coming boss," Owen muttered.

* * *

"So who wants to go first?" Jack asked as he leant back in his chair that was located at the end of one of the tables. Ianto and Gwen were to his left and Owen and Tosh to his right. A hesitant silence fell across the table before Owen shoved his chair back grumbling.

"Fine I'll do it." He stood at the other end of the table and rested his palms on the shiny surface of the large meeting room table. He surveyed the team before speaking. "Okay from what I can grasp she either died from the broken neck or from whatever it was, feasting on her insides." He sneered his top lip slightly in disgust and the image of the body flew to the forefront of their minds. "I can make out faint markings of immensely sharp teeth, we're talking knife blade here, around the edging of where she was eaten. I'd say she tried to fight back more than once, judging by the claw marks down her arms and cheek. There are also more claw marks and bruises along one thigh. From the way that it was detached from the body that at some point she tried to escape and the creature grabbed her. It must have been bloody strong to actually pull the leg away from the body like that – it's completely clean, like it just popped right out." The four threw him looks of disgust at his description and he shrugged slightly. "It's what happened."

"Anything else Owen?" Jack asked, weariness evident in his voice.

"At some point her head was bashed against the tiles, resulting in a shattering of one section of her skull. I'd say that this was the point that the creature actually broke her neck as well. The problem is that the timings for all this aren't clear. We have no idea what happened when and exactly what creature killed her."

"You think it was just one?" Gwen said.

"Something about it just seems to suggest that it was just one. There's no sign of her having been pinned down by another one but it is always possible. At the moment I'd say it was only one though." He sloped back to his seat, his face as contorted in disgust as the rest of them.

"Gwen." Jack gestured to her and she stood up.

"I've gone over the statements that the police collected and the odd thing is that no one heard anything. No screams, no cries for help, nothing. They only knew something was wrong when the barman got a bit suspicious about the fact that she'd been gone so long."

"Do barmen normally notice what their customers are up to? I say that we look…"

"No he said he normally doesn't but apparently this girl had been in their for a few hours." She grabbed a piece of paper off the desk and Owen let his head fall onto the table, aware of what was coming. "She arrived at around 3-ish with a young man. They were there for around an hour before they went into the toilets." Tosh visibly tensed and placed her hand on Owen's leg who was just as tense as she was. "The man stormed out about five minutes or so later. Apparently, to quote, 'it was obvious what they had been up to in there.' Anyway she came out a short while later and kept drinking for another couple of hours. He tried to get her to stop but she kept going. Then she went to the loo and didn't come back. After ten minutes or so he went and investigated. And well we know the rest." Silence fell across the table.

"Have we got anything on this man?"

"Um, I hadn't really checked." She scanned the pieces of paper. "Oh here we go. Average height, brunette, wearing a black leather jacket and jeans…" Her head shot up and she stared at Owen, a light frown on her face. "Probably in his late 20's." Jack and Ianto suddenly clicked and they also stared at the medic who raised his head off the table.

"Owen?" Jack's voice was brimming with anger and his eyes were dark.

"What?"

"I'm seriously hoping that what I'm thinking right now is wrong."

"Well it's not." His tone was as dark as Jack's and the two were staring hard at each other.

"Owen how could you do that?" Gwen glared at him.

"It's taking a lot to stop me from punching you right now Owen. I warned you when you started seeing Tosh that if you hurt her there'd be consequences. And now you do this!"

"Jack stop it!" Tosh's voice was sharp and it echoed across the room. "I already know. He didn't sleep with her."

"And you really believe that?" Gwen snorted slightly. "This is Owen we're talking about Tosh. We don't want to see you get hurt." Suddenly Tosh's features hardened and she stood up. Owen attempted to pull her down but she shrugged his arm off.

"I am not a child Gwen. I am quite capable of making my own decisions, I was before I met you and I can still do it now. Owen's explained everything to me and I've chosen to believe him. That's my choice and if I'm honest it's got nothing to do with you." Suddenly she shoved her chair back and stormed out of the room without looking back.

"Tosh wait! I'm sorry," Gwen shouted however she kept walking.

"Well done Gwen," Owen muttered as he too stood up. "I'm going to go after her alright? And I'm sorry alright. I messed up and I'm really kicking myself for it." Jack looked up at the medic and saw the sorrow that graced his features.

"Fine. I get the feeling Tosh has already made you feel bad enough and if she forgives you then I will too. But if you ever do anything like that again…" Owen nodded and raced out of the meeting room.

* * *

"Tosh wait up," he shouted out as he saw her slowly merging into the people who were heading home from the pubs and clubs. She stopped walking and turned to face him. He was relived to see that she wasn't crying and instead she looked surprisingly calm. "I just wanted to check you were alright. Gwen was out of order back there."

"It's fine," she shrugged. "We're all just a bit stressed right now and I don't blame her. She's just looking out for me." He nodded and pulled her into a hug.

"Look why don't we go and get that pizza now? Take your mind off work and stuff."

"Do you mind if we do it tomorrow? I'm shattered and I think I just need to sleep. Plus I've got to get everything sorted for my family which I haven't thought about yet."

"Yeah alright," he muttered, his shoulders dropping slightly.

"I'm sorry alright. We can do it tomorrow night alright?" She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek before walking away and disappearing among the crowds. He sighed slightly before turning and walking in the opposite direction. However as he walked away he couldn't help but feel like someone was watching him.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry this has taken so long. I am swamped with revision and that is taken priority. However I hope people out there are still reading so please review if you are (I will be so grateful).**

**I'm not that happy with this chapter and it didn't really go where I wanted it to at all. The next one will be better I swear. This one is a bit of a filler and I'm sorry for that. I did try to do a bit of foreshadowing at the end though.**

**Anyway I hope you liked it (even if I didn't) and please review to tell me what you thought.**


	6. Dreams, Hunting and Forbidden Feelings

"_You know the rest of the team have all gone home?" Ianto spun around when he heard the familiar murmur of Jack's voice. The charismatic American was leaning against the doorframe of the tourist centre, his shirt already slightly unbuttoned and a flirty grin gracing his face._

"_Really sir?" He paused for a second, raising his eyebrows suggestively. Well maybe I'd better head off myself then if we're the only two left." A flash of panic passed across the captain's face before it was replaced with his usual charming smile. He slowly approached Ianto, pinning him against the desk._

_"Well you could but I'm sure we could find something much more entertaining to do here." Ianto smiled slightly before pressing his lips against Jack's. The familiar smell of his cologne ensnared his senses as he let his hands wander up into his hair. He could already feel Jack's hands tugging at the base of his shirt as the kiss became more heated. He let an illicit moan escape from his mouth as Jack's lips travelled down to his neck. Oh god he'd missed this…_

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Ianto groaned as he flung an arm out to slam off the alarm clock that had pulled him from his dream. He laid there, his head buried in the pillows, as he tried to remember what his dream had been about. It had been a good one he knew that much. In desperation he closed his eyes and an image of him and Jack together flew into his head. Jack! That was what his dream had been about. It had felt so real. It all came rushing back to him suddenly, the feel of Jack's body pressed against his, the smell of his cologne, the urgency, the need they had for each other. He couldn't help but groan as the feelings from his dream swamped him. He wasn't supposed to feel like that about Jack anymore. When they'd broken up he'd pushed his feelings aside, forced himself to believe that he felt nothing but completely platonic feelings towards his boss. Those feelings definitely shouldn't have extended to sexual fantasies. Deep down he knew that he was no closer to being over Jack than he had been the moment their relationship had ended. Instead he wanted him even more than before and that definitely wasn't good.

Sighing he forced himself to get out of bed and to leave behind the remnants of the dream. But even has he pulled off the t-shirt that he slept in and made his way to the shower, he couldn't help but be haunted by the all to familiar scent of Jack. He flicked on the shower and shrugged off his boxers before disappearing under the water. He just needed to forget about Jack for a while, that was all. He was distinctly aware of the fact that he had been a mess lately and he couldn't remember the last time that he had bothered to shave. He had been wearing the same crumpled suit for days and he wasn't quite sure of the last time that he had bothered to do any form of proper work. He knew that it was time to move on and that was what today was going to be all about, getting back on form and putting Jack behind him.

Of course being under the water meant that he didn't hear his phone ringing or the answer machine kicking in.

"Ianto pick up the phone…Ianto…Look its Jack. You were meant to be at the meeting half an hour ago. Can you hurry up and get to the hub?"

* * *

"You know when I call the team demanding an early meeting, I do actually expect everyone to turn up!" Jack grumbled as he surveyed the two members of his team that had actually bothered to check their phones for messages. Owen and Gwen were sat on opposite sides of the table, each looking completely and utterly shattered. They'd both been awoken to the sound of their phones ringing and Jack screeching at them to get into work. It appeared that Jack had moved on from the drunken depression stage, instead choosing to embrace the 'throw-yourself-into-work' stage. Unfortunately for the rest of Torchwood, he had decided to drag them along with him.

"Well it's not our fault that they're not here. Maybe they had the common sense to be in a deep sleep when you rang them," Owen grumbled as he took another sip of the weak coffee that Gwen had attempted to make. He wrinkled his nose in disgust and shoved the cup away from him. "Next time you get the bright idea to call an early meeting, at least warn us the night before."

Gwen didn't even appear to be listening to the conversation, or rather she didn't appear to be listening to Owen's complaining. Her head was resting on the table and her eyes were closed. In fact it appeared that she was fast asleep. She hadn't welcomed her mobile ringing at seven o'clock that morning and neither had Rhys. She'd apologised profusely as she'd slipped out of bed and had promised that she'd do her utmost to get home early that night. She knew that Rhys was riding on the fact that once she took maternity leave (something she hadn't actually discussed with Jack yet), she wouldn't want to go back to Torchwood. She'd tried to tell him that wasn't an option and she knew that he was pretending to accept that. It was obvious however that he still believed that once she had the baby, she would change her mind. The thing was that she was determined to keep her job somehow, even if it did involve her bringing the baby to work. Torchwood had slowly become her life and there was no way she could ever give it up.

Her thoughts and attempt at slumber were disturbed by the sound of the cog door sliding open. The three glanced up to see Tosh entering. Somehow, even though she had to come the furthest for work, she looked the smartest out of the three. Her hair was scraped back in a neat ponytail and her make-up was carefully applied. Unlike Gwen's crumpled shirt that she had grabbed off the floor, her purple silk shirt was neatly pressed and was smartly tucked into her black pencil skirt. She made her way across to the meeting room, her heels clacking on the stone floor of the hub. Her coat was draped over one arm and she had her mobile tucked in the crook of her neck. She was talking rapidly and none of the others could even begin to understand what she was saying. What caught their eye the most, however, was the sight of the tray of Starbucks that she was carrying in one hand.

"You brought coffee!" Jack cheered and Gwen glared slightly at him.

"And what is wrong with mine?" she asked. Silence fell across the hub as they all struggled to figure out how to tell Gwen her coffee tasted like dishwater.

"Um well I was just passing Starbucks and I thought I'd pick stuff up in case no one had made any."

"Oh all right then," Gwen smiled and the men couldn't help breathe a sigh of relief. Since falling pregnant Gwen had become even more temperamental and the tiniest thing could set her off. However she seemed to appreciate Tosh's effort as she happily took the cup of steaming hot decaff coffee.

"Have I missed much?" she asked, pulling the phone away from her ear slightly.

"Nope and how can you be so bright at this time of the morning?" Gwen grumbled.

"You try having been on the phone to an airline for the past two hours. You definitely have plenty of time to get ready."

"Don't tell me you've been up all night?" Owen asked surveying his girlfriend who appeared to be getting irritated at the 'Greensleeves' that was being played to her.

"Nearly. My family are here in two days and nothing is organised."

"Oh Tosh," Gwen suddenly said. "I'm sorry about yesterday. It wasn't my place to comment." Tosh frowned at her looking slightly confused.

"What? Oh it's fine. Doesn't matter. I'd have the same to you in that situation. Oh hold on a moment. Yeah can you just wait a second?" She pulled the phone away from her slightly and stared at Jack. "Can I just take this quickly? I'll literally be two minutes."

"I guess. I mean it's not like I haven't been waiting nearly 40 minutes already." The sarcasm was evident in his tone however Tosh ignored it and headed to just outside the meeting room.

* * *

Ianto took a deep breath before activating the large cog door. He'd only got Jack's message just before he left and so he'd tried to rush across Cardiff. Of course it happened to be that today was the one day that everyone seemed to have decided to leave for work early. He'd made it though, but it was nearly an hour after Jack had expected him to arrive. He exhaled and stepped out into the interior of the hub. The first thing he couldn't help but notice was the mess of the place. Surely it hadn't been this bad yesterday had it? Plates and old Starbucks cups lined the desks along with masses of paper. Okay so he had definitely been a bit more that just slightly out of character.

He sighed and made his way in the direction of the meeting room. He began to clamber up the stairs when he spotted Tosh sat on the steps, mobile clamped to her ear and a Starbucks in her hand. She looked up at him and gave him a huge grin.

"Hey Ianto."

"Hey."

"You look really good," she smiled at him before shifting out of his way slightly. Had he really been in that bad a state? He shuffled past her and entered the meeting room. Jack, Owen and Gwen all glanced up at him and while Jack averted his gaze, the other two took in her appearance.

"Well someone scrubs up nicely Jones," Owen remarked.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Yeah well it's the only one you're getting off me today so don't go getting any ideas." The two men laughed and he relished the feeling of bantering with the team again. He'd been in his own depressing world for so long that he'd almost forgotten that he could still throw comments at Owen and chat to Gwen.

"You do look a lot better Ianto," Gwen said as he took the seat next to her. "I was getting worried about you," she added in a slightly lower tone. That was Gwen, always worrying about others instead of herself. He smiled at her before catching Jack's eye. They held each other's gaze before Jack gave him a small nod which he reciprocated. Maybe they could stop hating each other after all.

"Oi Tosh get in here! I do actually want to start this meeting now everyone's here." Jack bellowed as he diverted his gaze from Ianto to the door.

"One minute!"

"Not one minute – now!" They could hear her grumbling as she stood up and wandered in. The phone was still firmly clamped to her ear as she took her seat next to Owen. Jack glared at her as he noticed she was still on the phone, however she failed to notice. Instead she reached for some paper off the desk and began to scrawl down whatever the other person on the other end of the line was telling her.

"So that's going from Tokyo at 17:22 and it's 4 seats on the flight. Okay and it gets in to Cardiff at…18:16. Excellent um could you possibly tell me how much that it comes to?" Jack began to drum his fingers impatiently against the desk, but she still appeared not to notice. That or she wasn't paying any attention. "£2300! Yeah yeah that's fine, just charge it to my card. Okay thanks bye." She flipped the phone shut and glanced at Jack. "All done now." He gave her a look of pure irritation

"Good Tosh. Can we start now?" He was met from silence from the team. "Good right lets get going."

"Going?"

"Yeah. We've got to head off to the police station. It appears they've been withholding a couple of statements from us so we're going to go and get them." He stood up like he'd explained the simplest thing in the world.

"Woah! Woah! You call us up at seven in the morning for a meeting. We hang around for over an hour to just find that you in fact want us to go and see the police."

"Yep." Jack grinned at him before walking off in the direction of the exit.

"Oh for fuck's sake!" Owen grumbled. "One moment he's pissed off his head and then he's calling us in for pointless early meetings. Why don't you just go back to shagging him teaboy?" Tosh threw him a glare before whacking him on the arm. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Next time just think before you speak," she muttered before linking her arm in his.

* * *

"Look _Captain_ Harkness," the policeman who had been given the task of dealing with Torchwood said, as he sarcastically emphasised Jack's title. "I have told you that however much we don't like it, we've handed all the evidence over to you."

"Well I don't believe you."

"That may be but it doesn't change that we don't have any other witness statements." Jack slammed his fist down in annoyance and stared at the officer.

"Well then you won't mind if we have a look around?"

"You may be in control almost anywhere but you can't come in and root through private police files. I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Before Jack could reply, one of the DCIs appeared. He looked to be in his early fifties, judging by the fact that he was nearly bald.

"Ah Harkness, it's been a good few years since I saw you last. Can't say I missed you." Jack raised an eyebrow as he stared at the man in front of him. A flash of recognition passed across his face before it was replaced with a frown.

"Ah DCI Chambers. It's been what, six years?"

"We're nearing seven. Getting forgetful in your old age? Though you don't seem to have aged one bit. What's your secret?"

"Wouldn't work for you Chambers."

"You two know each other?" Gwen interrupted as the team surveyed the two men in confusion.

"Ooh an entirely new team I see. You do move on quickly. Hasn't Jack mentioned me? Well it has been a while."

"I wouldn't have reason to. This man is completely opposed to the entire idea of Torchwood. He was constantly trying, and failing, to get us shut down when he used to work here." He turned back to Chambers. "What are you doing back here anyway?"

"Fancied a change of scene. London's too grey and miserable for me."

"And here was me thinking that you missed me. To let you know we're not going anywhere. We're going to see the files you have on Sally Fields."

"That's not going to happen."

"You know it is. Times have changed since you left Chambers. I don't want to make things difficult for you…"

"I'd like to see you try. The answer is no Harkness. I know you don't like the word but you better get used to it now I'm back." At that moment Tosh's phone rang. They all glanced over to her and a look appeared on Chambers' face as if he hadn't noticed her before.

"Sorry Jack," she muttered before flicking open the phone and stepping away from the group.

"So you were going to let us in…" Jack said impatiently but the inspector's stare was still focused on Tosh. The captain coughed and he drew his attention back to the team but his gaze kept flickering across to her.

"Well if it's for the benefit of your investigation then I guess I can let you in." As he stepped aside to let them past Ianto leant closer to Owen.

"I wonder what caused him the sudden change of heart," he muttered. Owen glanced back and noticed Chambers' slowly wandering over to his girlfriend.

"Don't worry your friend will catch you up when she's finished. Just head to the archives. We'll have filed anything that was left over in there." The door swung shut behind them and two vanished from view.

"If he does anything…"

"Oh what's he going to do? He's got to be at least fifty."

"Right now we've sorted out that Tosh isn't going to shag the DCI, can we please focus on what we came here for?" Jack grumbled as he led them towards the large archives.

* * *

"Yeah it's all booked Grandma. Mm I'll e-mail Jun all the information. Okay I have to go. Mm mm, bye." She spun around and seemed quite shocked to find the foyer deserted except for Chambers. "Where are…"

"Your team? Oh they've headed up to my office already."

"Oh you let them go?"

"Call it my good deed for the day." He gave her a creepy smile that made her feel decidedly uncomfortable, before offering her his arm. "Come on I'll show you where they went." She sighed as he unsubtly pushed his arm towards her. Why did these things always happen to her? Uneasily she took his arm and he began to lead her to his office while inanely chattering at her.

* * *

"You guys got anything yet?"

"Nope. All the cases in here are really old ones Jack," Gwen muttered before sneezing as she opened another dusty file.

"Well he told us they were down here." Silence fell over the group.

"He wouldn't have sent us down here if they weren't here would he?" Ianto was the first to click and he shut his eyes and frowned in frustration.

"Well you saw the looks he was given Tosh. We're down here in the bottom of the building while he's up at the top in his office with her."

"And Ianto gets it again!" Jack shouted, placing a hand on his arm. They both grinned and it took a couple of seconds before they registered the fact that up until this morning, they hadn't even been talking unless necessary. Jack withdrew his arm and stepped forward so as to put distance between the two of them.

"Well why are we still standing here then? Come on." The four hurried towards the exit of the archive, wondering exactly what Chambers' was up to.

* * *

"Ah here you go." He held out a folder towards her. "There's a statement from a customer and one from a cleaner. We were planning on following up a couple of leads but it seems nothing gets past you lot." Tosh nodded and peered out of the door and down the corridor.

"Right. Um I thought you said that the team had already come up here."

"Knowing Jack he's ended taking them to go and nosy into something else that doesn't concern him." He laughed and Tosh joined in nervously. These were exactly the types of uncomfortable situations that she hated.

"Well if you just give me the folder then I can head off and find them." She reached out a hand towards him to grab the file and he smiled her.

"Of course." He stepped towards her but before she knew what was happening he'd slammed the door shut and had pressed against her. "You don't think you're just going to get this without giving me a little something first?" She felt his hand inch up under her skirt and she let her instinctive defence technique. She raised her leg and kneed him hard in the groin. He tumbled to the ground, groaning in pain and anxiously clutching at his groin.

"Don't touch me again," she growled before going to open the door. However as she tugged at the handle she realised that it was locked. He must have done it without her even noticing. She spun around to face him.

"Open the door."

"Not a chance in hell." With a slight groan he began to stand up. Tosh reached for her gun but instead she was greeted with the feel of her belt. A flash of the gun and holder lying on her bed flashed into her mind.

"Damn," she breathed quietly. Unlike Gwen she wasn't exactly gifted at the whole physical assault thing. Guns – yes, but not punches. A knee in the groin was roughly as far she went; that and a bit of kicking.

This time he gripped her wrists tightly, pinning her up against the wall. His body was pressed against hers and she felt repulsed at the smell of his cheap aftershave. His wet lips pressed against hers and she tried to scream, but she couldn't due to the assault on her lips. One hand still tightly gripped her wrists while the other groped under her skirt. She felt like screaming, and it was at that moment that he pulled away from her slightly to begin to unbutton her shirt. She took a deep breath and spat hard in his face. He jerked back slightly and she took the chance to punch him hard in the face. She winced at the sound on her knuckles contacting with his eye socket. However, she relished the moment as he fell backwards into his desk.

"I did warn you." She felt the relief wash over her body as she heard voices outside the door and people trying to bang it down. Trust them to get there once she'd dealt with the attacker. She noticed a small silver key lying on the floor. It must have fallen out of his pocket when she hit him. Grinning she bent down and picked up the key. She began to raise her foot to kick him in the side but somehow she felt that is was just too much. "See I'm too nice to do that, unlike you." She slipped the key in the lock and the door flung open. "Nice of you to finally show up."

The team stared at her in shock before peering around her to see Chambers lying on the floor still, his nose bleeding and his eye already swelling.

"Are you alright?" Owen asked as he surveyed her appearance.

"I'm fine. Knuckles hurt a bit though." He laughed slightly before pulling her into a hug and kissing the top of her head.

"I've warned you before not to get on the wrong side of Torchwood Chambers'."

"Oh Jack the file you want is on that chair," Tosh muttered as she spun around in Owen's arms. Jack nodded at her and picked up the file. "Thanks for this Chambers'. I'd say you around but I hope not."

The five turned and walked out of his office. They began to head towards the lift and Jack looked at Tosh, still looking concerned.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine Jack. He didn't do anything."

"Oh so you just walloped him for nothing?"

"Well he felt me up and tried to kiss me but I mean he didn't actually _do_ anything. Honestly I've dealt with worse." He nodded seeming satisfied with the answer. "Well that was one hell of a punch that you gave him!"

"Yeah it was," Owen said as he wrapped an arm around her. "Yeah that's my girlfriend," he laughed. She smirked and hit him lightly.

"Anyway focusing on what's important – what do the statements say Jack?" Almost automatically the team resumed their work personas.

"Well the cleaner's is definitely interesting. It seems she heard noises from the bathroom. Ooh and so did this customer. We'll go over them properly at the hub and Tosh see if you can get edit that CCTV anymore. Gwen I'll want you to chase up these two." They all nodded and Ianto pressed the button for the lift.

"I still don't get why someone would have wanted to kill her. She was just a young girl," Ianto said.

"Not someone – something," Owen said. "Whatever did that certainly wasn't human."

"Any luck on motives?"

"Nope. Seemed a perfectly nice girl."

"So the only person who had a motive was Tosh." Silence and glares met his statement. "Okay so still not ready to joke about that one. Right." Thankfully the lift arrived at that moment and the five climbed in. However, it was also at that moment that a petrifying scream reached their ears. They all stepped forward slightly and Jack jammed his foot in the lift doors to prevent them from closing. A blonde ran out from one of the offices, still screaming.

"HE'S DEAD! CHAMBERS' HAS BEEN MURDERED!"

* * *

The meeting room was dark as the team sat around the tables. It was nearly midnight and they hadn't stopped working all day. They'd battled to convince the police that they needed the body, and it seemed every officer was scared that there had been a murder in their own building. The day had been filled with autopsies, phone calls, CCTV footage and hunting for similar cases.

"Owen," Jack yawned. "What you got?"

"It's exactly the same," he muttered, not even bothering to get out of his seat due to exhaustion. "The rear of his skull was smashed in. It was just by pure force, no implement used. His neck was snapped the same as the previous victim's and he was also feasted on. There's no small or large intestine left along with the stomach, liver and kidneys. It also appears to have started on part of right lung. We've got the same claw marks and there are some holes straight through the leg. Appears the creature had got a pretty tight grip on it. Chambers' would have been dead in less than a minute." Looks of disgust were present on everyone's face as Owen finished.

"Right. So we can agree that it's the same creature, or at least the same race of creature." They nodded before Tosh began.

"There's nothing at all on the CCTV."

"Nothing?"

"Absolutely nothing. It stops just after we all leave the room, just goes to static. I called the police and an officer told me that the camera is smashed. So someone-thing didn't want to be seen."

"There must at least be footage of the camera breaking."

"Oh there is." She stood up and walked over to the laptop that had been humming from the top of the table. She pressed a couple of buttons and footage started playing.

They saw the camera was focused on Chambers' and they could faintly hear Jack talking. The room fell silent and they could hear Chambers' grumbling quietly. Then suddenly his face become one of pure horror and it looked like he was screaming but they couldn't hear a sound.

"Is the sound working on this thing?"

"Yep. I've checked it again and again and the sounds perfect." At that moment the screen went entirely black and the next moment it was replaced with static. She sighed and pressed stop before resuming her seat.

"Does it normally go black before it turns off?"

"No the black is definitely something. But however much I intensify it, nothing. It's just black."

"Great so we've still got no idea what this is," Owen grumbled. There was an air of defeat already present and Jack groaned.

"Gwen anything?"

"Nope. I've called and followed up every link but there is no connection between those two. They didn't even go to the same bars or anything. The only connection to them is us.

"Us?"

"Well Owen _nearly_ sleeps with Sally and then she's murdered. Then Chambers' tries it on with Tosh and he's killed two minutes later." Silence reigned.

"So the murderer kills people who nearly sleep with Torchwood staff?" Owen smirked.

"It's most likely just a coincidence. Owen left more than two hours before Sally was killed," Ianto added.

"Well it's the only thing that I came up with. There's no links between them."

"Ianto anything?"

"Nope. I'll keep looking but nothing so far." Jack nodded and held his gaze for slightly longer than necessary. "Look everyone might as well head home. We've got nothing so far and everyone's shattered. We'll keep going tomorrow alright?" He was met with murmurs of approval.

"Well I'm going to head home. I'd promised Rhys I'd be home early," Gwen laughed slightly.

"Yeah me too," Tosh said as she stood up, grabbing her coat off the chair.

"I'll join you," Owen added. "You coming to mine?" She nodded and he wrapped an arm around her before the three walked out.

"Remember don't _nearly_ sleep with someone!" Jack laughed.

The room fell silent as Ianto and Jack hovered apprehensively. Tentatively, Jack approached Ianto, his moves lacking his normal assertiveness.

"What about you?"

"Um I'm going to head off. Been a late night and all." Jack nodded and he couldn't help but be aware of how close the two of them were. In a matter of seconds, the space between them had been reduced to a matter of centimetres. Jack reached a hand out and cupped Ianto's face.

"I've missed you." His eyes scanned Ianto's face as if looking for permission, and he obviously found what he was looking for because he leant forward and captured his lips in a kiss. Ianto kissed him with as much ferocity, both having missed the passion between the two of them. They remained like that for a short while before Ianto suddenly pulled away. His eyes were wide and his mouth was hanging open slightly.

"That shouldn't have just…that was a mistake."

"Ianto…"

"No Jack! I haven't forgiven you and god knows if I ever will. We shouldn't have just…" With that he rushed out of the hub, not bothering to look back.

* * *

He stopped once he got outside and he leant against the wall. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, and let the memory of Jack's betrayal play in his mind:

_Ianto grumbled as he made his way down into the archives. Captain John Hart had recently turned up again and apparently he had something that would be 'very helpful' to Torchwood. Of course he was refusing to say, as expected. It wasn't that he hated the man but there was just something about him that infuriated him. The way that he constantly called him 'Eye Candy' and the fact that he always played up the fact that he had this history with Jack. _

_Ianto sighed as he wandered down one of the many corridors. And that was when he froze. There were the two Captains and Jack had John pressed up against the cabinets. They were kissing passionately, their hands entwined in each other's hair and clothes. The two were completely lost in each other and Ianto could see John's hands travelling up Jack's shirt. _

_Ianto let the documents fall from his grasp and it was at that moment that the two became aware of another presence. Jack's eyes flew open and he froze at the sight of Ianto. He stepped away from John and stepped towards Ianto._

"_Ianto…"_

"Don't!" His tone was harsh and steely. He glared at the two before storming off out of the archives.

That had been over a month ago and it still hurt so much. God damn it he'd loved Jack and then that had happened. Sighing he felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. Daniel. He flicked it open and forced himself to focus on the man at the other end.

"Hey…No it's fine. I just got out of work anyway…You don't want to know…Come round? Yeah sure…Okay got it…Yeah I know where it is…See you in ten minutes or so." He smiled as he hung up. Daniel wasn't Jack but maybe that was what he needed, someone who wasn't Jack. Yeah that was exactly what Ianto Jones needed.

* * *

A/N: Wow it's not even the 4th June yet and here's an update. I've done the majority of my exams so I decided to write a chapter – I just had the urge. This is a longer chapter and now we've got another murder. Anyone got any ideas who - or should I say – what is behind them?

So now you know why Jack and Ianto split up? Or is that not the full story? Hmm. But the passions are still there.

Thank you so much to everyone who has read and reviewed – I really appreciate it. Please please please review this chapter. I really would appreciate it. I'm debating which of my stories I'm going to continue in June and which ones I'll drop so let me know if you want this continuing.

Thanks for reading

xxx


	7. Meetings, Moving On and More Meetings

**A/N: What is this? An update? I know it appears that I've fallen off the face of the earth and that I'd never update but I had a sudden urge to continue this. **

**Probably no one is still reading this or is still interested but I thought I'd update just in case there is anyone still out there. **

**Summary of what's happened so far: **

**Jack and Ianto have split up – Ianto caught him with John Hart down in the archives – Jack started drinking and partying while Ianto gave up caring about anything, leaving the hub in disarray and him looking a mess**

**Gwen is pregnant and Rhys is hoping she'll give up Torchwood once the baby is born but she can't see that happening**

**Tosh's family are coming to meet Owen and she fears that they won't be impressed (the only time he's spoken to her grandma, he said they were in bed together)**

**Tosh and Owen had a row after she found out her family were coming, leading to him almost sleeping with a girl named Sally in a bar – Tosh found out but eventually forgave him, warning him he had one more chance**

**Sally was viciously murdered, as was DCI Chambers who had tried to make a move on Tosh in exchange for some witness statements about Sally's murder**

**Ianto and Jack kissed but Ianto said it was a mistake before going to meet Daniel Faraday, a man he met in a pub.**

**

* * *

**

Two days had passed since the murder of DCI Chambers and the team were no closer to cracking the case. In fact they hadn't discovered anything new at all. Plus the tension between Jack and Ianto had become even worse and the rest of the team couldn't help but notice.

"Okay so what's happened between those two?" Gwen asked as she examined the witness statements for the millionth time.

"I've got no idea. They refuse to talk to each other at all now – at least before there was some form of communication," Tosh replied as she completed some analysis of the rift.

"Yeah. They were actually being civil and now it's like they've gone back a week."

"Minus the mess and drinking," Owen chipped in as he emerged from the medical bay.

"Helpful Owen," Gwen said.

She was about to say something else but Jack's voice echoed through the hub as he descended the stairs from his office.

"Alright team – meeting time."

"And what exactly is the point of that Jack?" Owen asked, earning himself a slap from Tosh.

"Just go. At least he's trying to lead us again."

"Fine," he muttered, at the same time that Gwen muttered the word 'whipped' under her breath.

* * *

"So have we got anything new?" Jack asked, staring at his team hopefully.

His question was, unsurprisingly, met silence.

"Come on. Anyone? Anything?"

"Jack what do you expect? We've got no CCTV of either of the attacks – well unless you count that black blob that I've spent far too many hours staring at. The witness statements are about as useful as a chocolate fireguard. To quote – 'I heard some strange bangs coming from the bathroom.' Well that's a surprise. There's no odd rift activity at the times of either attack and there's no apparent cause. So exactly what do you expect us to say?" Tosh ranted, not bothering to take a break.

"And breath Tosh," Owen laughed, but he shot a sincere smile while Gwen nodded in agreement with Tosh.

"Tosh is right Jack. We've got nothing. Right now there's nothing we can do."

"Oh that's a great attitude. Two people have been dismembered…"

"Jack, really."

"It's the truth. We can't just sit here. Are we supposed to just wait for another attack before we do anything?"

"Well if you would like to suggest something Jack then we'd be more than willing. However you're wasting your time pining over tea-boy and flitting between being in love with him and being immensely depressed, and not in fact leading us."

The meeting room fell silent once again and Jack turned to face the three members of his team who were actually there.

"Do you all of you feel like that?"

"Well maybe I would have phrased it more tactfully than Owen did," Gwen said after a pause. "But there are obviously problems between you and Ianto still and it is affecting us as a team."

Jack didn't respond. Instead he simply stood up and walked out of the boardroom. At a loss as to exactly what he was doing, the three followed.

Ianto was stood by the coffee machine, simultaneously texting someone and watching the milk froth. However he glanced up as he saw the rest of the team emerging from the meeting room. Right now he didn't feel like being in a confined space with Jack if he could avoid it.

"Ianto," Jack called.

They hadn't spoken since they had kissed a couple of nights ago and so Ianto's face simply fell open in surprise at Jack addressing him.

"What's he doing?" he heard Owen asked and Tosh and Gwen both just shrugged.

"Ianto who are you texting?"

"What?" he asked, slightly confused. Were they just going to act like the kiss had never happened?

"Who are you texting?"

"Oh…um…" This could be uncomfortable. "Daniel."

"Daniel?" Gwen said, looking up from the file that she was reading. "You've never mentioned a Daniel."

"You see, if you three had bothered to spend less time studying the 'tension' between me and Ianto," Jack said, along with accompanying air quotes. "Then you would have noticed that Ianto has found himself a new guy who is making very happy. And that I am perfectly fine. So can we now get back to our work? I want some new information by the end of the day."

With that Jack disappeared into his office while Ianto turned back to the coffee machine, still confused as to what had happened.

Owen shrugged before going to wander back to the autopsy bay, but Gwen and Tosh both went to hover by Ianto.

"So who's Daniel?"

"None of your business Gwen."

"Aw come on Ianto, we want to know about this new guy."

"Not you too Tosh."

"I'm a woman Ianto. What do you expect?"

He sighed and shrugged in defeat.

"His name's Daniel Faraday and I met him in the pub a couple of days ago. We've been out once and he's…he's really nice."

"Aw I glad Ianto," Gwen said, giving him a hug. "You deserve to be with someone who makes you happy."

They chose to ignore the hidden meaning behind what Gwen was saying, instead helping him carry the cups of coffee into the main part of the hub.

"Congratulations Ianto. Now if only I could meet a guy who'd make me happy," Tosh said.

"Hey!" Owen shouted as he took the coffee off Gwen. "Comments like that do not get me meeting your family Sato."

"Ooh yeah, they're coming tonight aren't they Tosh? What time to they get in?"

"Don't remind me. They're getting in at half six and there's nothing I love more that my grandma after being in the air for hours on end and complaining about jetlag."

"It can't be that bad."

"You obviously haven't met my family."

* * *

Tosh had managed to slip out of the hub without Jack noticing, claiming that she was going to go and do some extra research. Jack had barely said a word, and she was pretty sure that it was due to him being upset over the fact that Ianto had moved on, but she honestly didn't have time to be dealing with her boss's relationship. In a normal working environment, she would know nothing of his romantic situation, but alas, Torchwood was anything but normal.

Heading in the direction of the airport, she mentally checked that she had cleared out any evidence of her job from the flat. She had replaced all Torchwood related things with some files that she had 'borrowed' from the council. If her family asked, she was a computer technician for the local council. That should make her grandma and aunt happy.

Indicating, she turned the car into the airport. She had borrowed Owen's car, after an insane amount of begging, but she was worried that that still wouldn't fit her aunt, grandma and cousin in., plus the luggage and presents they would have bought.

Eventually she managed to navigate the sports car into a space. Adjusting the mirror, she reapplied her lipstick and checked her appearance. Hopefully it was suitable enough for her grandma. Though she knew the real thing she should worry about, her reaction to Owen.

* * *

"Sorry I'm late," Ianto muttered as he skidded to a halt by the table.

Getting his breath back, he shot Daniel a smile before sitting down across from him.

"It's okay. I'm getting used to it with you. You're work must be pretty hectic."

"Uh – yeah – it is. You wouldn't think there'd be that many emergencies at the council but you'd be surprised."

Daniel nodded and gave him a warm smile.

"I'm really glad that we're getting to do this Ianto."

"I am too Dan," he replied.

He wasn't quite sure what else to say but he was (thankfully) interrupted by the arrival of the waiter to take their order. It wasn't that he didn't like Dan, he did. In fact he was perfect. But there was that little voice inside of him that was aware of one thing – he wasn't Jack.

**A/N: It's short but I thought it was worth getting back into the swing of things. There should only be four or five more chapters so if anyone out there is still reading, review and I'll keep going ******


	8. Family, Escape and Work

Tosh took another drink from her Starbucks cup as she hovered by the edge of the arrivals lounge. The flight from Japan had officially landed ten minutes ago and she knew it was only a matter of time before her family appeared. The first few people had straggled through already, dragging their suitcases and browsing for their family.

She was about to take another drink when her phone buzzed in her pocket. Placing her cup on the edge of the barrier, she pulled it out and read the text from Owen. _'Don't worry. O x'_

She smiled at the fact that he knew that she would be panicking now. She'd spent the past two days trying to prepare him (and herself) for the arrival of the Sato's.

She began to text a reply when she heard an all too familiar voice.

"Don't slouch Toshiko. A lady never slouches."

Taking a deep breath, she stood up straighter and turned to face her family. Stood in front of her, clutching their suitcases, were her grandma, her aunt and her cousin,

"Konnichi wa bachan, obasan, itoko. How was your flight?"

"As good as can be expected Toshiko," her grandma, Mai, said, embracing her tightly.

She reciprocated the hug and also embraced her aunt Hina and her cousin Jun. As she pulled away from them, she noticed Mai looking around.

"Something wrong bachan?"

"I was wondering where this boyfriend of yours was? I thought he would choose to come and meet your family."

One minute. It had taken her grandma one minute to start on Owen. Sighing, she grabbed her coffee cup and one of the suitcases.

"He's at work bachan. I told you, there's only five of us and our boss can't afford to have two of us missing."

"What is this job of yours Toshiko? You've always kept it very quiet."

"Oh it's just um… we're part of the council."

"Well at least your job is respectable – that is something."

Rolling her eyes, she lead her family out to the car park, ignoring the subtle dig at Owen. She knew her family did not approve of her lifestyle. She was going to be 34 this year, she wasn't married, she didn't have children and she lived alone – pretty much disaster in her family's eyes.

"What is this?" Hina asked, staring at the small sports car.

"Owen's car," Tosh muttered as she opened the boot and put the luggage in. "It was either this or walking the four miles to the hotel."

"Hotel?" Jun asked. "We're not staying with you?"

"I have a one bedroom flat Jun. There's no room. The hotel is perfectly nice."

"Perfectly nice. Well I'm glad you care so much for your family Toshiko," her grandma said before climbing into the back of the car.

Tosh desperately tried to refrain from bashing her head against the boot of the car as she heard the three of them whispering rapidly in Japanese. She knew they were assuming that she couldn't hear them, but she could hear them already criticising everything.

It was going to be a long week.

* * *

"Alright then folks," Jack said, looking at Gwen and Owen. "We're going to crack this case."

"What?" the pair asked.

They'd just been getting ready to leave when Jack had appeared.

"I'm sick of us being stumped on this case…"

"Us?" Owen asked. "As far as I can tell, you haven't done anything."

"Be quiet Owen. As I was saying, we're going to figure this out."

"I want to go home Jack!" Gwen whined.

"Gwen we need to do this work. Christmas is five days away and we're going to have to dealt with this by then."

"Oh okay Jack. We'll just go and explore all those avenues that we haven't looked into yet. Oh wait! We have none!"

"Owen that's not a good attitude."

"Good attitude? Who are you and what have you done with Jack?"

Jack didn't respond. Instead he disappeared into the meeting room.

"Are we supposed to follow or can we make a break for it?"

"I think we better follow," Gwen sighed.

"Damn."

* * *

"Jack! We've been here for nearly two hours and we still have nothing new! Lets us go!" Owen snapped.

"Well done," Gwen said, rolling her eyes. "Now just say it when he's in the room."

"Well…yeah…"

Owen trailed off as Jack came back in holding enlarged scans of the photos from the CCTV.

"I hate to point this out but Tosh has already done that and she found nothing."

"Well there has to be something in them; some clue."

"Why? This isn't one of Ianto's thriller novels Jack. It's real life and that means there doesn't have to be any clues."

"Don't be so pessimistic Owen. We will solve this."

"I think I preferred him when he was getting drunk every night."

Jack was about to launch into a speech when the meeting room door opened and Tosh came hurrying in. She looked completely shattered and she gave Jack a look, challenging him to say something about her coming in so late. Sadly he didn't appear to spot the look and he frowned at her.

"Tosh I text you about this meeting two hours ago and told you that you had to be here. I don't want this kind of behaviour from my team."

She shot him a look of pure disbelief before storming straight up to him and standing on her tiptoes so she could stare into his eyes.

"Don't you dare criticise me Jack! You knew my family was arriving this evening and you knew I had to be there, and then you had the cheek to demand that I made it to your stupid meeting. I'm not sure if you missed it Jack with all your drinking and moping, but the rest of us have been working our arses off on this case, trying to get it solved. And I'm late to your sodding meeting because none of my family was at all happy that they couldn't stay in my flat, so I had to take them there to prove there was no room. Then my aunt, when we finally got to the hotel, started arguing the manager before all three of them complained about the rooms they were in. So after begging the manager to forget about my aunt's rude behaviour and let them swap rooms, I get out into the car park to find some stupid twat had blocked me in. So don't you fucking well say a word about me being late or I will hurt you Jack."

She glared at him and he simply swallowed before backing away from her slightly. Nodding, she threw herself into the empty seat next to Owen, noting the shocked expressions on Gwen and Owen's faces.

"Oh don't look so shocked. This is what happens to me when my family turn up."

"What you turn into a monster?" Owen asked, regretting it immediately.

"Don't you dare say a word Harper! You're having dinner with them tomorrow," she said, throwing his keys at him.

"Oh lucky me."

* * *

A/N: Hope you like it. The next update should be up by next week. Sorry for the shortness but I'm juggling two other fics at the moment – but I am keeping this one going. I'm about three chapters from the end.


End file.
